I felt like the weekend went way to fast this time around. Well, it always goes way to fast, but Mark and I were so busy that this past weekend seemed to go by faster than usual.
On Friday night Mark’s friend Tim and his girlfriend Kate came over for some drinks and to go to dinner. We’ve hung out with Tim and Kate hundreds of times, but never just the four of us. The original plan was to head out and have a couple of drinks at our house and then go to Buca di Beppo for dinner. When we got to Buca, though, the wait for a table was an hour and a half. So we decided to grab some take out and go back home. Tim and Kate had brought over a good bottle of wine and we just had a great time relaxing and chatting for the night.
Saturday morning Mark and I did some stuff around the house before deciding to rent a movie and just relax for the afternoon. Mark had only gotten about four hours of sleep on Friday night, so he was pretty exhausted by about 1:00. We rented Elizabethtown, which I didn’t like very much. I thought that it was going to be a good story about two people falling in love, but it was about something different I guess. It was way too much like Jerry MaGuire. But it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Saturday night Mark went to dinner with Jason and Mitch. Mark works with those two guys, and once a month they go out for a nice dinner at a different restaurant to explore the city a bit. On Saturday they went to Zelo and then came back to our house to watch a boxing match. I, of course, decided it was another great opportunity to have a girls’ night, so I called Megan and Kristin. I unfortunately don’t get to see either of those girls nearly as much as I’d like to, so it was so fantastic to get a night with just the three of us. We started out the night at my place with a nice glass of wine, and then headed out to Taste for a bottle of Rosado and some tapas. We spent a good couple of hours there just catching up and enjoying each other’s company. After that we headed to the Rock Bottom Brewery for some Spicy Spinach Cheese Dip and some Nachos before heading home for the night. I have done some really fun things in the past few weeks, but Saturday night was one of the best. Sometimes all it takes is a couple of good friends, some wine and a free-flowing conversation to make the best of nights.
Sunday morning I got up for my run, and then Mark and I had a day to ourselves. We got new cell phones, did some grocery shopping, made dinner and watched Grey’s Anatomy. Although we got to spend the day together, we still feel like we didn’t get to spend enough time together this weekend. That’s what happens when you work separate schedules. You learn how to deal with it, but you never really stop missing the other person.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Week Two Tri Training
Week two went a lot better than week one. Although I didn't stick exactly to the schedule, I did most of the workouts and felt great all week because of it. It's a lot easier to eat healthy throughout the day when you know that you worked hard in the morning.
Monday morning was a bit of a slow start to the week. I woke up early to do a morning run on the treadmill. It's really hard to me to run on the treadmill because I think it's SO boring! Even though I had my Ipod, I was still bored by mile two. If I run outside I can at least see other people and other things. So it was hard to have motivation Monday morning, but I did run for 20 minutes and speed walk for 10 minutes.
Tuesday was a swim day. I had plans for a one woman Olympic party that night (just me, a Lean Cuisine, a wine cooler and the ladies figure skating short program - what could be better?). After work I was going to head to the gym to swim, but I thought that I'd head home and just swim there. Not such a good idea. The pool here at our apartment is so small that by the time I did two strokes of the crawl, I was at the end of the pool. I did a 30-minute swim, but I did feel like it wasn't the most efficient work out ever. At least I got out there.
Wednesday was the best work out of the week. I had my cycle team training, and we did our first tri brick. A brick is when you alternate between two events, doing a short, hard push for each event. We did cycle and running, and it was really hard! We would run for 10 minutes, then spin for 10 minutes, and then back to running. We did that for over an hour. After that, we worked on core training for about a half hour. I got home and my abs hurt so much it was hard to even sit down.
Thursday I didn't work out. Usually I swim with the team on Thursday nights, but the finals for the figure skating were on and I didn't want to miss it. I know, it's a really bad reason to skip a work out, but I felt like I had worked hard the beginning of the week that I deserved a break. Plus, the Olympics are only on every four years! I think that's an ok excuse...
Friday morning I got up early and biked downstairs in the gym for 30 minutes. It wasn't the work out I was hoping for. We don't have spin bikes here, so I didn't feel like I was truly doing training. But I suppose that the fact that I got up and did anything at all is better than laying in bed for 45 more minutes. I am thinking about taking a spin class one night a week so that my two bike sessions a week are really hard and really make me push myself.
Saturday morning is the team run, but Mark and I had had people over for dinner and drinks the night before, so I wasn't feeling up to getting up early to run. At 7:00 AM it was a good idea to stay in bed, but I was angry with myself later in the day because that meant that I had to run on Sunday. I hate working out on Sundays. Plus, I don't like to miss two team training sessions in a week. I think it really helps to see everyone else trying really hard and pushing themselves.
So, Sunday morning came and I really didn't want to run, but I did it. And just to punish myself a little more for being lazy on Saturday, I ran outside. It was about 18 degrees out. I got all bundled up in my great running gear, and as soon as I hit the cold air I was ready to go. I was pumped up and energized and excited to be out there running and getting my body going.
Every week I try to set a goal for myself in additional to my work out goals. This week my goal dealt with eating at work. If you work in an office, you know that for some reason crap food always seems to appear. Brownies, cookies, cake, you name it. Pretty much every day something new appears in my office. And I can't help the sweets - I LOVE them. I don't just have a sweet tooth - my whole upper row of teeth is sweet. So, my goal this week was to eat nothing at work. No sweets, no crap food, nothing extra. And I did it. I didn't have anything extra at all. It was so hard! When everyone else was taking cookies in the Monday morning staff meeting, I didn't have anything. When my boss bought scones for us all, I said "No, thank you". When we had popsicles and ice cream for the monthly birthday celebration, I didn't touch it. I was so proud of myself. I overcame my office sweet teeth, and it felt so good. When Friday afternoon came and I knew that I had reached my goal, I think that I did a little dance. It feels so good to set a goal for yourself and realize that you've actually reached the goal.
I think that my goal for this next week is going to be to continue with my no sweets at work rule and also to focus on water intake. I am usually really great about water intake the first part of the week, and then I lose for some reason by Friday I'm not drinking any at all during the day. My goal is to drink two Nalgene bottles full every day.
Overall, I had a great week and felt wonderful with how I performed. Next week I'm going to try to find a spin class to attend weekly as well as a yoga class to increase my core strength.
Don't forget to check out my fundraising web site (and maybe donate, too...) by using the link to the right.
Monday morning was a bit of a slow start to the week. I woke up early to do a morning run on the treadmill. It's really hard to me to run on the treadmill because I think it's SO boring! Even though I had my Ipod, I was still bored by mile two. If I run outside I can at least see other people and other things. So it was hard to have motivation Monday morning, but I did run for 20 minutes and speed walk for 10 minutes.
Tuesday was a swim day. I had plans for a one woman Olympic party that night (just me, a Lean Cuisine, a wine cooler and the ladies figure skating short program - what could be better?). After work I was going to head to the gym to swim, but I thought that I'd head home and just swim there. Not such a good idea. The pool here at our apartment is so small that by the time I did two strokes of the crawl, I was at the end of the pool. I did a 30-minute swim, but I did feel like it wasn't the most efficient work out ever. At least I got out there.
Wednesday was the best work out of the week. I had my cycle team training, and we did our first tri brick. A brick is when you alternate between two events, doing a short, hard push for each event. We did cycle and running, and it was really hard! We would run for 10 minutes, then spin for 10 minutes, and then back to running. We did that for over an hour. After that, we worked on core training for about a half hour. I got home and my abs hurt so much it was hard to even sit down.
Thursday I didn't work out. Usually I swim with the team on Thursday nights, but the finals for the figure skating were on and I didn't want to miss it. I know, it's a really bad reason to skip a work out, but I felt like I had worked hard the beginning of the week that I deserved a break. Plus, the Olympics are only on every four years! I think that's an ok excuse...
Friday morning I got up early and biked downstairs in the gym for 30 minutes. It wasn't the work out I was hoping for. We don't have spin bikes here, so I didn't feel like I was truly doing training. But I suppose that the fact that I got up and did anything at all is better than laying in bed for 45 more minutes. I am thinking about taking a spin class one night a week so that my two bike sessions a week are really hard and really make me push myself.
Saturday morning is the team run, but Mark and I had had people over for dinner and drinks the night before, so I wasn't feeling up to getting up early to run. At 7:00 AM it was a good idea to stay in bed, but I was angry with myself later in the day because that meant that I had to run on Sunday. I hate working out on Sundays. Plus, I don't like to miss two team training sessions in a week. I think it really helps to see everyone else trying really hard and pushing themselves.
So, Sunday morning came and I really didn't want to run, but I did it. And just to punish myself a little more for being lazy on Saturday, I ran outside. It was about 18 degrees out. I got all bundled up in my great running gear, and as soon as I hit the cold air I was ready to go. I was pumped up and energized and excited to be out there running and getting my body going.
Every week I try to set a goal for myself in additional to my work out goals. This week my goal dealt with eating at work. If you work in an office, you know that for some reason crap food always seems to appear. Brownies, cookies, cake, you name it. Pretty much every day something new appears in my office. And I can't help the sweets - I LOVE them. I don't just have a sweet tooth - my whole upper row of teeth is sweet. So, my goal this week was to eat nothing at work. No sweets, no crap food, nothing extra. And I did it. I didn't have anything extra at all. It was so hard! When everyone else was taking cookies in the Monday morning staff meeting, I didn't have anything. When my boss bought scones for us all, I said "No, thank you". When we had popsicles and ice cream for the monthly birthday celebration, I didn't touch it. I was so proud of myself. I overcame my office sweet teeth, and it felt so good. When Friday afternoon came and I knew that I had reached my goal, I think that I did a little dance. It feels so good to set a goal for yourself and realize that you've actually reached the goal.
I think that my goal for this next week is going to be to continue with my no sweets at work rule and also to focus on water intake. I am usually really great about water intake the first part of the week, and then I lose for some reason by Friday I'm not drinking any at all during the day. My goal is to drink two Nalgene bottles full every day.
Overall, I had a great week and felt wonderful with how I performed. Next week I'm going to try to find a spin class to attend weekly as well as a yoga class to increase my core strength.
Don't forget to check out my fundraising web site (and maybe donate, too...) by using the link to the right.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
We're Moving...
On February 15, I came home to find a letter stuck into my door frame. It was from the apartment management, and it gave information on our new lease term. Our lease is up on April 30, so I was expecting the new rent information to come at some point. I did not, however, expect that the apartment management would increase our rent through the roof!
Mark and I currently have a one bedroom, 650 sq. foot apartment in downtown Minneapolis. We live on the 20th floor, and have an amazing view of the city from our living room. The building has great amenities, like a pool, workout room, sauna and whirlpool. We have had some problems, though. For Mark alone, the apartment size was great. Perfect for a single guy with a minimalist take on design. But for two of us? I feel a little like a sardine. I haven't had more than three hot showers in the morning in four weeks. Mark has had numerous nights where he'd come home from work at 4:00 AM and not have a place to park - in the parking lot that we pay for. So, we had talked about moving sometime in July or August. We have a lot of things going on between April and June, and thought it would just be easier to wait it out for a couple of months.
Not so much.
Apparently, our management decided that the apartment is worth much more now than it was a year ago. If Mark and I decide to stay an entire year and sign a new 12-month lease, our rent would increase $200. However, if we decided not to sign a new lease and instead to become month-to-month tenants, our rent would increase $250 plus a monthly fee of $100 for being temporary tenants, for a grand total of $350 a month. For all the issues we were having with the apartment, we weren't having that.
So, we decided to take on the endeavour of apartment searching. We looked online for three days straight, and I set up a few appointments to see some places. The first place we saw was an older building in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis. We walked in and it was old, small, and overall horrible. It had character - high ceilings, exposed brick and beams, old neighborhood. But the appliances were from the 50s. The carpet kinda smelled. The bathroom was mold covered. Due to my temporary insanity of being terrified that we'd never find a place, however, I loved it. Mark had a pretty fun time with me losing my mind, but was very calm and supportive the entire time. We moved on to the second place.
The second place was the Highland Ridge apartments in Highland Park, which is a neighborhood in St. Paul. Now, to those of you who don't live in the Twin Cities, you probably think that there is no difference between the cities. It's just one big city, really, with a river running down the middle. How wrong you are. The two cities are just as different as if they were on opposite sides of the country. Minneapolis is young, hip, trendy, and modern. St. Paul is older, more charming, and quiet. Minneapolis is chaotic. St. Paul is calming. I have lived in Minneapolis my entire life as a Minnesotan, and the idea of moving to St. Paul scared me a little at first. Mark of course had a much easier time with the idea - his home town is much closer to St. Paul and he spent many days and nights playing around the city of St. Paul with his parents. Plus, he works in St. Paul. So, I was a little reluctant to look at the next place, but I wanted to give any and every apartment a chance.
And I am SO glad that I did.
We loved this place. I mean, LOVED it. It was perfect. We walked into the lobby, where a large marble fountain welcomes you. As we walked throughout the building, we saw the pool (twice the size of the pool in our building now), the workout room, sauna, whirlpool, aerobics room (they have yoga and aerobics for their residents, free of charge), a game room, a community room. It was amazing! The building was beautiful. We finally got to the apartment itself. It was a two bedroom, two bathroom, 1010 square foot apartment with a private balcony. We walked in, and immediately fell in love. The kitchen and living room have a great flow together that leads you down the hallway to the bathroom, extra bedroom and master suite. Yeah that's right, master suite! We were both floored. Here's some pics:
The pictures of course don't do it justice, but it's wonderful. You can read all about the place here.
We told the woman right then that we loved it, and wanted it. We got a 24-hour hold on it, and I was back within 20 hours to pay our deposit and submit our applications.
So, St. Paul, here we come! I'm really excited about the new challenges and adventures that come not only with moving to a new home but moving to an all new area. I have great things to explore - like where's the bank and grocery story and movie theater? And what is the best biking and running routes? I'm really thrilled about it! And Mark even made me a deal - I get to decorate the master suite, bathrooms and living room if he can have the extra bedroom. Heck yeah! I have a feeling, though, that Mark's Swingers poster will now have a home...
Mark and I currently have a one bedroom, 650 sq. foot apartment in downtown Minneapolis. We live on the 20th floor, and have an amazing view of the city from our living room. The building has great amenities, like a pool, workout room, sauna and whirlpool. We have had some problems, though. For Mark alone, the apartment size was great. Perfect for a single guy with a minimalist take on design. But for two of us? I feel a little like a sardine. I haven't had more than three hot showers in the morning in four weeks. Mark has had numerous nights where he'd come home from work at 4:00 AM and not have a place to park - in the parking lot that we pay for. So, we had talked about moving sometime in July or August. We have a lot of things going on between April and June, and thought it would just be easier to wait it out for a couple of months.
Not so much.
Apparently, our management decided that the apartment is worth much more now than it was a year ago. If Mark and I decide to stay an entire year and sign a new 12-month lease, our rent would increase $200. However, if we decided not to sign a new lease and instead to become month-to-month tenants, our rent would increase $250 plus a monthly fee of $100 for being temporary tenants, for a grand total of $350 a month. For all the issues we were having with the apartment, we weren't having that.
So, we decided to take on the endeavour of apartment searching. We looked online for three days straight, and I set up a few appointments to see some places. The first place we saw was an older building in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis. We walked in and it was old, small, and overall horrible. It had character - high ceilings, exposed brick and beams, old neighborhood. But the appliances were from the 50s. The carpet kinda smelled. The bathroom was mold covered. Due to my temporary insanity of being terrified that we'd never find a place, however, I loved it. Mark had a pretty fun time with me losing my mind, but was very calm and supportive the entire time. We moved on to the second place.
The second place was the Highland Ridge apartments in Highland Park, which is a neighborhood in St. Paul. Now, to those of you who don't live in the Twin Cities, you probably think that there is no difference between the cities. It's just one big city, really, with a river running down the middle. How wrong you are. The two cities are just as different as if they were on opposite sides of the country. Minneapolis is young, hip, trendy, and modern. St. Paul is older, more charming, and quiet. Minneapolis is chaotic. St. Paul is calming. I have lived in Minneapolis my entire life as a Minnesotan, and the idea of moving to St. Paul scared me a little at first. Mark of course had a much easier time with the idea - his home town is much closer to St. Paul and he spent many days and nights playing around the city of St. Paul with his parents. Plus, he works in St. Paul. So, I was a little reluctant to look at the next place, but I wanted to give any and every apartment a chance.
And I am SO glad that I did.
We loved this place. I mean, LOVED it. It was perfect. We walked into the lobby, where a large marble fountain welcomes you. As we walked throughout the building, we saw the pool (twice the size of the pool in our building now), the workout room, sauna, whirlpool, aerobics room (they have yoga and aerobics for their residents, free of charge), a game room, a community room. It was amazing! The building was beautiful. We finally got to the apartment itself. It was a two bedroom, two bathroom, 1010 square foot apartment with a private balcony. We walked in, and immediately fell in love. The kitchen and living room have a great flow together that leads you down the hallway to the bathroom, extra bedroom and master suite. Yeah that's right, master suite! We were both floored. Here's some pics:
The pictures of course don't do it justice, but it's wonderful. You can read all about the place here.
We told the woman right then that we loved it, and wanted it. We got a 24-hour hold on it, and I was back within 20 hours to pay our deposit and submit our applications.
So, St. Paul, here we come! I'm really excited about the new challenges and adventures that come not only with moving to a new home but moving to an all new area. I have great things to explore - like where's the bank and grocery story and movie theater? And what is the best biking and running routes? I'm really thrilled about it! And Mark even made me a deal - I get to decorate the master suite, bathrooms and living room if he can have the extra bedroom. Heck yeah! I have a feeling, though, that Mark's Swingers poster will now have a home...
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Week One Tri Training
So I'm going to try to post every Sunday night about the pervious week's triathlon training just to keep you all in the loop. This past week was the first official week of training, and I'm mildly proud of myself. I think that I could have pushed harder and worked more, but for the first week it's pretty good.
I ran Monday night, even though the schedule didn't require it. I really wanted to get a good physical start to my week. I ran hard for 30 minutes, and then did a 5 minute cool down run. It felt so good to run for the 30 minutes! It was cold outside, and I don't like to run outside at night alone, so I ran on the treadmill. Running indoors isn't as fun, but I pushed myself to do it anyway. I ran almost three miles. I know, not the best mile time, but I am just starting out...
Tuesday I skipped a work out, as the schedule stated. It was a nice rest for Valentine's Day.
Wednesday was our first group cycle training session. The session was held in St. Louis Park at the Bally Total Fitness. I figured that I was an intermediate biker, so I went with the first group. I'm really glad that I pushed myself up to that class, because it was really hard - but the good kind of hard. We rode the bikes for 30 minutes, and then did our coach's version of a mini boot camp. We worked our abs, butts and thighs for 45 minutes after the bikes. By the end of the night, we could barely walk. But it felt so good to work my body like that. It always reinstates my enthusiasm for my goal when I have a powerful workout.
Thursday was our first group swim training session. I wasn't sure whether to go with the beginners or the intermediate class. I can swim, but my form is horrible and I didn't know how long I could swim without stopping. I decided to go with the beginner’s class, and I'm SO glad that I did! The work out was so hard! We started with drills that help us learn the different important aspects of triathlon swimming: use your upper body strength, flutter kick with the legs to conserve leg muscles for the bike and run, breathe every four strokes if possible, etc. We did the drills for about 30 minutes. And then it was time to put those things together to try our bodies at the freestyle stroke. We were told to do four laps (one lap is down and back, by the way), going easy on the way down and then really swimming hard on the way back. I thought, four laps is nothing! During the actual tri I have to swim the equivalent of 32 laps. Four laps damn near killed me. I was winded. My form was lost. And then the coach told us to take a 10 second breather, and do it again. By lap 8 all I could think was I'm going to drown in this damn pool in St. Paul. They'll have to call my mom and tell her that her 23-year-old drown in a pool. But alas, I did it. And when I finished, I actually felt really good. The thing with swimming is that it can be learned. If you aren't a good swimmer at the start, you can learn the form and breathing and eventually get better at it. So, I'm motivated to keep trying and keep working at it until I can swim those 32 laps without a second thought.
Saturday mornings is usually our group run, but due to the 10 BELOW ZERO temp, it was cancelled. And because I ran on Monday and didn't need to, I let myself sleep in and relax a bit. It was much appreciated by me.
So, next week is when the real hard schedule starts. Six days a week of working out, two sessions for each of the three events. I'm going to try my best to follow the schedule and have focused workouts so that my body gets used to the work. But overall, I feel happy with my first week of training, and I'm really looking forward to next week's challenges.
Don't forget to visit my fundraising link to the left, and donate if you can!
I ran Monday night, even though the schedule didn't require it. I really wanted to get a good physical start to my week. I ran hard for 30 minutes, and then did a 5 minute cool down run. It felt so good to run for the 30 minutes! It was cold outside, and I don't like to run outside at night alone, so I ran on the treadmill. Running indoors isn't as fun, but I pushed myself to do it anyway. I ran almost three miles. I know, not the best mile time, but I am just starting out...
Tuesday I skipped a work out, as the schedule stated. It was a nice rest for Valentine's Day.
Wednesday was our first group cycle training session. The session was held in St. Louis Park at the Bally Total Fitness. I figured that I was an intermediate biker, so I went with the first group. I'm really glad that I pushed myself up to that class, because it was really hard - but the good kind of hard. We rode the bikes for 30 minutes, and then did our coach's version of a mini boot camp. We worked our abs, butts and thighs for 45 minutes after the bikes. By the end of the night, we could barely walk. But it felt so good to work my body like that. It always reinstates my enthusiasm for my goal when I have a powerful workout.
Thursday was our first group swim training session. I wasn't sure whether to go with the beginners or the intermediate class. I can swim, but my form is horrible and I didn't know how long I could swim without stopping. I decided to go with the beginner’s class, and I'm SO glad that I did! The work out was so hard! We started with drills that help us learn the different important aspects of triathlon swimming: use your upper body strength, flutter kick with the legs to conserve leg muscles for the bike and run, breathe every four strokes if possible, etc. We did the drills for about 30 minutes. And then it was time to put those things together to try our bodies at the freestyle stroke. We were told to do four laps (one lap is down and back, by the way), going easy on the way down and then really swimming hard on the way back. I thought, four laps is nothing! During the actual tri I have to swim the equivalent of 32 laps. Four laps damn near killed me. I was winded. My form was lost. And then the coach told us to take a 10 second breather, and do it again. By lap 8 all I could think was I'm going to drown in this damn pool in St. Paul. They'll have to call my mom and tell her that her 23-year-old drown in a pool. But alas, I did it. And when I finished, I actually felt really good. The thing with swimming is that it can be learned. If you aren't a good swimmer at the start, you can learn the form and breathing and eventually get better at it. So, I'm motivated to keep trying and keep working at it until I can swim those 32 laps without a second thought.
Saturday mornings is usually our group run, but due to the 10 BELOW ZERO temp, it was cancelled. And because I ran on Monday and didn't need to, I let myself sleep in and relax a bit. It was much appreciated by me.
So, next week is when the real hard schedule starts. Six days a week of working out, two sessions for each of the three events. I'm going to try my best to follow the schedule and have focused workouts so that my body gets used to the work. But overall, I feel happy with my first week of training, and I'm really looking forward to next week's challenges.
Don't forget to visit my fundraising link to the left, and donate if you can!
Valentine's Day with Mark
Friday night Mark and I celebrated Valentine's Day because we didn't see each other on the actual V-day date. We had reservations for 7:00 PM at Amore Victoria, a new Italian restaurant on Lake Street in Uptown. I had driven past it a few times and really wanted to try it.
Mark and I had decided to make this year a small Valentine's Day celebration. Dinner and quality time together was to be our gift to each other. And maybe a nice card. On the morning of Valentine's Day, I had left a nice card with some Twizzlers (his favorite candy) and just one red rose for him on the table to that when he got home from work he had a little surprise waiting. Nothing big, but a little something to make him feel special.
On my way home from work, Mark called and told me to call him when I got off of the elevator on our floor. I did, and he came out to meet me in the elevator lobby with a glass of wine and a kiss. Then he led me into the living room, where I was instructed to sit on the couch and not look around at all. I sat down on one couch and Mark sat on the other, holding his guitar. He started playing a song, and I didn't immediately know what song it was. But after a few chords I realized that it was True Companion, by Marc Cohn. He had spent all day Friday learning the song on the guitar, and played the whole song for me.
The funny, and very cute, part of this story is that I had heard this song last weekend during the car ride home from WI. When I got home to MN, I told Mark that he should learn that song and surprise me by playing it at our wedding (which, by the way, is in like 3 years). He laughed at the fact that I would tell him what surprise to do for me. So that fact that he quickly learned the song and played it for me as my gift was so sweet. After he finished the song, he gave me half a dozen red roses as well. It was the perfect gift.
After the song and flowers I quickly got ready and we headed out into the freezing air for dinner. The restaurant was very cute inside. The air and ambiance reminded me of a Tuscan villa renovated into a corner bistro. Ok, I've never actually been to Tuscany, so I've never actually seen a Tuscan villa. But hey, for all I know the place was EXACTLY like a Tuscan villa.
Moving on...
The food was good. I had Eggplant Florentina with a glass of Chianti Classico. The eggplant was good, although it was a bit rich. A thick layer of ricotta cheese was spread over the eggplant, which was then placed on a bed of pasta with spinach leaves. Mark had a pork tenderloin pasta dish that was so good. It had tenderloin with proscuitto in a white wine sauce. For dessert, we split a piece of decadent chocolate cake and a piece of tiramisu.
It was too cold to do anything else, so we came home and enjoyed a thrilling game of Yahtzee. It was a nice Valentine's Day evening with my sweetie.
Mark and I had decided to make this year a small Valentine's Day celebration. Dinner and quality time together was to be our gift to each other. And maybe a nice card. On the morning of Valentine's Day, I had left a nice card with some Twizzlers (his favorite candy) and just one red rose for him on the table to that when he got home from work he had a little surprise waiting. Nothing big, but a little something to make him feel special.
On my way home from work, Mark called and told me to call him when I got off of the elevator on our floor. I did, and he came out to meet me in the elevator lobby with a glass of wine and a kiss. Then he led me into the living room, where I was instructed to sit on the couch and not look around at all. I sat down on one couch and Mark sat on the other, holding his guitar. He started playing a song, and I didn't immediately know what song it was. But after a few chords I realized that it was True Companion, by Marc Cohn. He had spent all day Friday learning the song on the guitar, and played the whole song for me.
The funny, and very cute, part of this story is that I had heard this song last weekend during the car ride home from WI. When I got home to MN, I told Mark that he should learn that song and surprise me by playing it at our wedding (which, by the way, is in like 3 years). He laughed at the fact that I would tell him what surprise to do for me. So that fact that he quickly learned the song and played it for me as my gift was so sweet. After he finished the song, he gave me half a dozen red roses as well. It was the perfect gift.
After the song and flowers I quickly got ready and we headed out into the freezing air for dinner. The restaurant was very cute inside. The air and ambiance reminded me of a Tuscan villa renovated into a corner bistro. Ok, I've never actually been to Tuscany, so I've never actually seen a Tuscan villa. But hey, for all I know the place was EXACTLY like a Tuscan villa.
Moving on...
The food was good. I had Eggplant Florentina with a glass of Chianti Classico. The eggplant was good, although it was a bit rich. A thick layer of ricotta cheese was spread over the eggplant, which was then placed on a bed of pasta with spinach leaves. Mark had a pork tenderloin pasta dish that was so good. It had tenderloin with proscuitto in a white wine sauce. For dessert, we split a piece of decadent chocolate cake and a piece of tiramisu.
It was too cold to do anything else, so we came home and enjoyed a thrilling game of Yahtzee. It was a nice Valentine's Day evening with my sweetie.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Valentine's Day Crockpot Extravaganza
I think that along the way I may have mentioned that Mark works nights at the Ford Assembly Plant in St. Paul. He goes to work at about 4:00 PM and doesn’t return home until about 4:00 AM. So, there are times and holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, that we must put off our celebration until the weekend, leaving me to fend for myself on the actual date. I’ve pretty much gotten used to this over the years, so it doesn’t bother me anymore. Now I just plan fun things to do instead.
This year for Hallmark holiday of love, I asked Julie to be my Valentine, and she gladly accepted. After some debate on whether we should dine out or make dinner, we decided to make a meal entirely in our crockpots. My sister and her family had bought a crockpot for me for my birthday a couple of years ago, and Julie’s mom bought her two crockpots for Christmas this year. We have been searching the Internet for good recipes for crokpots since New Year’s. We decided it was time to put our crockpots to the test.
Julie had the responsibility of dinner, and I was in charge of dessert (of course). After trying out a couple of different recipes, Julie landed on her mom’s chili recipe. I found a recipe for hot caramel apples and was set to go.
So, on Valentine’s Day morning, I woke up (late) and made the caramel apples in the crockpot, and brought it over to Julie’s. We were going to run to her house (she lives three blocks from work) over the lunch hour to turn on the chili, and then return to her house at around 2:00 to turn on the apples. That way the chili would be ready to go right after work and the apples would ready a while afterward.
We went to the video store to pick up Cinderella Man. We weren’t sure of what to get, but we’d both wanted to see it. It was so good! Really a wonderful story about love and family and working hard and it was just great. I recommend it!
When we got to Julie’s to finally start eating, her house smelled amazing, between the simmering chili and the baking apples!
We got out the wine,
filled our bowls up with Fritos and chili and cheese (all intricately layered, of course),
and sat down to enjoy the movie.
The chili was SO GOOD! Just the right amount of spice to make your nose run, but not too much that you couldn’t taste the chili goodness. After a heaping bowl of it, we were both way to full to even think about the apples!
So the apples simmered a while longer. That’s really the beauty with the crockpot – if you aren’t quite ready to eat, it doesn’t matter! It’s pretty hard to mess things up with a crockpot. When the movie ended, we turned on Sex and the City and decided we had just enough room for dessert.
I was rather pleased with myself at how the apples turned out. I put each apple in a bowl with a little of the juices it was baking in, and put Redi-whip along the outside rim of the apple. The apples were nice and soft, without being soggy and gross. The caramel and brown sugar was oozing out of the apple. (You make these caramel apples by coring the apples and sticking a bunch of stuff right inside if, so it cooks from the inside out.) As full as we were after the chili, the apples were just delectable! We didn’t speak the entire time we ate them.
After a clean up of the kitchen and pots, I headed home to my empty house. I did have a wonderful note from Mark to read. It was so great to spend V-Day hanging out with a good friend instead of moping about alone. And we had such a good time hanging with the crockpots, that we’re going to make it a regular thing. Keep watch for the next recipe postings…
Up Next: My V-Day celebration with Mark.
This year for Hallmark holiday of love, I asked Julie to be my Valentine, and she gladly accepted. After some debate on whether we should dine out or make dinner, we decided to make a meal entirely in our crockpots. My sister and her family had bought a crockpot for me for my birthday a couple of years ago, and Julie’s mom bought her two crockpots for Christmas this year. We have been searching the Internet for good recipes for crokpots since New Year’s. We decided it was time to put our crockpots to the test.
Julie had the responsibility of dinner, and I was in charge of dessert (of course). After trying out a couple of different recipes, Julie landed on her mom’s chili recipe. I found a recipe for hot caramel apples and was set to go.
So, on Valentine’s Day morning, I woke up (late) and made the caramel apples in the crockpot, and brought it over to Julie’s. We were going to run to her house (she lives three blocks from work) over the lunch hour to turn on the chili, and then return to her house at around 2:00 to turn on the apples. That way the chili would be ready to go right after work and the apples would ready a while afterward.
We went to the video store to pick up Cinderella Man. We weren’t sure of what to get, but we’d both wanted to see it. It was so good! Really a wonderful story about love and family and working hard and it was just great. I recommend it!
When we got to Julie’s to finally start eating, her house smelled amazing, between the simmering chili and the baking apples!
We got out the wine,
filled our bowls up with Fritos and chili and cheese (all intricately layered, of course),
and sat down to enjoy the movie.
The chili was SO GOOD! Just the right amount of spice to make your nose run, but not too much that you couldn’t taste the chili goodness. After a heaping bowl of it, we were both way to full to even think about the apples!
So the apples simmered a while longer. That’s really the beauty with the crockpot – if you aren’t quite ready to eat, it doesn’t matter! It’s pretty hard to mess things up with a crockpot. When the movie ended, we turned on Sex and the City and decided we had just enough room for dessert.
I was rather pleased with myself at how the apples turned out. I put each apple in a bowl with a little of the juices it was baking in, and put Redi-whip along the outside rim of the apple. The apples were nice and soft, without being soggy and gross. The caramel and brown sugar was oozing out of the apple. (You make these caramel apples by coring the apples and sticking a bunch of stuff right inside if, so it cooks from the inside out.) As full as we were after the chili, the apples were just delectable! We didn’t speak the entire time we ate them.
After a clean up of the kitchen and pots, I headed home to my empty house. I did have a wonderful note from Mark to read. It was so great to spend V-Day hanging out with a good friend instead of moping about alone. And we had such a good time hanging with the crockpots, that we’re going to make it a regular thing. Keep watch for the next recipe postings…
Up Next: My V-Day celebration with Mark.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Word Cloud
So, I saw this first on Erin's blog and then on Christi's, and I had to check it out myself. It's so fun! This web site, Snapshirts.com, has a section that you can go on and plug in your blog to get a word cloud from your blog. Here's mine:
If you have a site, go check this out. It's fun!
If you have a site, go check this out. It's fun!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Weekend with Family
This past weekend, I made the long haul to southeastern WI to visit my family and friends. I try to get home every six to eight weeks to hang out with the fam - parents (Kath and Eric), sister (Nikki), brother-in-law (Pete), niece (Lexi) and nephew (Max). My family is really close, and as much as I love living in the Twin Cities, it's hard to be away from them sometimes. The kids are nine and five, and I love being part of their lives as they grow up.
I left the cities at about 3:00 PM on Friday afternoon and made really good time. It usually takes about 5 1/2 hours to get home, and I made it there by about 8:30 or so. The drive really sucked my energy though. My car doesn't have a CD player, and I lost my portable one, so I was subjected to the horrid music that clutters middle WI radio. Country. Lots and lots of country music. I hate country music. By the time I got home, I was pretty tired. So, the parents and I just hung out and chatted and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Didn't see the opening ceremonies? Don't worry - you didn't miss much. Anything, really. They were really slow and a bit boring and really took all of the great athletic energy out of the games. Oh well.
Saturday was SUCH a busy day. My dad took me to the chiropractor to get me all aligned before my really tough training starts for the tri. That was great, but we had to leave the house at about 8:45 AM to get there in time for me to get adjusted and make it to White Fox Den for breakfast with my mom and Erin and her mom. No sleeping in for me. Oh well, it was worth it. I went to breakfast with the ladies, and we had such a good time. We always have a great time together. Erin and I have been friends for so long (since first grade), and our mom have been friends for almost as long, so it just feels so great to spend time with the four of us. Erin is like another sister, and her mom is like a second mom.
After breakfast, my mom and I did some bumming around town and went to see my grandma at the nursing home. She recently fell and broke her pelvis, so she has to be in the nursing home while she recovers. She looked so old to me. It was actually really hard for me to see her there. My mom and Nikki both said that she's doing really well and actually looks really good, but they see her all the time. When you don't see an older person, an older sick person at that, six weeks can do so much that a person who sees her every week doesn't see. I lvoe my grandma, and it's hard to think of a time when she won't be around. My grandpa died four years ago today actually, and it was so hard. We've always been so close to my grandparents. Ok, don't want to think about that anymore so I'm going to move on...
After visiting my grandma, we went to see Lexi's basketball game. Although she didn't score a basket and her team lost, she did a great job.
I played basketball when I was a littler older than her, and I was so bad at it. In four years of playing, I only got two baskets. I think. I may have blocked that out of my memory...
After the game, the whole fam went out to this job site that my dad is working on so he could show us this amazing house. It was snowing out, but it wasn't very cold. The house is way out in the woods, so we ran around like a bunch of idiots playing Man from Snowy River and hiking all over the woods. We worked up quite the appetite so we went to Upper Crust pizza in Pell Lake. My cousin Ashley met us there, too, since I haven't seen her since before Christmas either. This place is so cool - they have funny things hanging from every inch of the walls and ceilings. From a giant T-Rex to hammerhead sharks to airplanes to old license plates. It's really fun the play I Spy in this place.
After dinner, my parents and I headed into New Berlin to see Munich. I was so tired after the long day, but I really wanted to see the movie and thought it'd be a good way to relax. Not so much. This movie is amazingly powerful. It really sort of rips you apart and makes you question humanity and the state of the world as we've known it our entire lives. The thought that people have been fighting each other, mass murdering each other, for thousands of years is mind-blowing and eternally frightening. For those who don't know, this movie is about the violent aftermath of the Munich Olympic hostage and murder situation. Really, it's about the years old fued between the Palestinians and the Isrealis. It's makes you really think. My parents and I left the movie in silence, not really knowing how to react at that time. It's a great film, but it made me depressed at the state of our world. If you can't handle thinking about things outside your own life or bubble, don't see it.
Although amazing and powerful, I don't think this film will win Best Picture, by the way. I just don't see it coming.
Sunday morning, I woke up and hung out with my parents for a relaxing morning before making the trip back up to the cities. The drive was a lot better on Sunday than it had been on Friday. I think I just hate night driving. But I made even better time on the way back up, and I was home in plenty of time to spend time with Mark and watch the world's greatest TV show, Grey's Anatomy. Seriously, if you aren't wathcing this show, you're nuts. Watch it. Love it.
That's it for me for the weekend. This is going to be a really busy week - the intense tri training starts this week. I'm so excited about it!
Up Next: A Valentine's Day Crockpot Extravaganza
I left the cities at about 3:00 PM on Friday afternoon and made really good time. It usually takes about 5 1/2 hours to get home, and I made it there by about 8:30 or so. The drive really sucked my energy though. My car doesn't have a CD player, and I lost my portable one, so I was subjected to the horrid music that clutters middle WI radio. Country. Lots and lots of country music. I hate country music. By the time I got home, I was pretty tired. So, the parents and I just hung out and chatted and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Didn't see the opening ceremonies? Don't worry - you didn't miss much. Anything, really. They were really slow and a bit boring and really took all of the great athletic energy out of the games. Oh well.
Saturday was SUCH a busy day. My dad took me to the chiropractor to get me all aligned before my really tough training starts for the tri. That was great, but we had to leave the house at about 8:45 AM to get there in time for me to get adjusted and make it to White Fox Den for breakfast with my mom and Erin and her mom. No sleeping in for me. Oh well, it was worth it. I went to breakfast with the ladies, and we had such a good time. We always have a great time together. Erin and I have been friends for so long (since first grade), and our mom have been friends for almost as long, so it just feels so great to spend time with the four of us. Erin is like another sister, and her mom is like a second mom.
After breakfast, my mom and I did some bumming around town and went to see my grandma at the nursing home. She recently fell and broke her pelvis, so she has to be in the nursing home while she recovers. She looked so old to me. It was actually really hard for me to see her there. My mom and Nikki both said that she's doing really well and actually looks really good, but they see her all the time. When you don't see an older person, an older sick person at that, six weeks can do so much that a person who sees her every week doesn't see. I lvoe my grandma, and it's hard to think of a time when she won't be around. My grandpa died four years ago today actually, and it was so hard. We've always been so close to my grandparents. Ok, don't want to think about that anymore so I'm going to move on...
After visiting my grandma, we went to see Lexi's basketball game. Although she didn't score a basket and her team lost, she did a great job.
I played basketball when I was a littler older than her, and I was so bad at it. In four years of playing, I only got two baskets. I think. I may have blocked that out of my memory...
After the game, the whole fam went out to this job site that my dad is working on so he could show us this amazing house. It was snowing out, but it wasn't very cold. The house is way out in the woods, so we ran around like a bunch of idiots playing Man from Snowy River and hiking all over the woods. We worked up quite the appetite so we went to Upper Crust pizza in Pell Lake. My cousin Ashley met us there, too, since I haven't seen her since before Christmas either. This place is so cool - they have funny things hanging from every inch of the walls and ceilings. From a giant T-Rex to hammerhead sharks to airplanes to old license plates. It's really fun the play I Spy in this place.
After dinner, my parents and I headed into New Berlin to see Munich. I was so tired after the long day, but I really wanted to see the movie and thought it'd be a good way to relax. Not so much. This movie is amazingly powerful. It really sort of rips you apart and makes you question humanity and the state of the world as we've known it our entire lives. The thought that people have been fighting each other, mass murdering each other, for thousands of years is mind-blowing and eternally frightening. For those who don't know, this movie is about the violent aftermath of the Munich Olympic hostage and murder situation. Really, it's about the years old fued between the Palestinians and the Isrealis. It's makes you really think. My parents and I left the movie in silence, not really knowing how to react at that time. It's a great film, but it made me depressed at the state of our world. If you can't handle thinking about things outside your own life or bubble, don't see it.
Although amazing and powerful, I don't think this film will win Best Picture, by the way. I just don't see it coming.
Sunday morning, I woke up and hung out with my parents for a relaxing morning before making the trip back up to the cities. The drive was a lot better on Sunday than it had been on Friday. I think I just hate night driving. But I made even better time on the way back up, and I was home in plenty of time to spend time with Mark and watch the world's greatest TV show, Grey's Anatomy. Seriously, if you aren't wathcing this show, you're nuts. Watch it. Love it.
That's it for me for the weekend. This is going to be a really busy week - the intense tri training starts this week. I'm so excited about it!
Up Next: A Valentine's Day Crockpot Extravaganza
Friday, February 10, 2006
Capote
I went to see Capote on Tuesday night. Mark has off work all week, so in my attempt to fulfill my Oscar promise I took him away to the movies for the evening. Well, he took me but who’s keeping track…
We had planned on going so when I got home from work on Tuesday I quickly changed clothes and we headed out to grab a bite to eat before the movie. We weren’t sure where to go, and we didn’t have a lot of time, so we just headed for Uptown thinking we’d find a place. When we got to Uptown, for some unknown and ridiculous reason, we decided it would be a good idea to eat at Burrito Loco. Now, you may ask yourself, “What would make two people with severe stomach issues eat at a baby-size burrito from Burrito Loco before going to sit in a movie theater for two and a half hours?” Well, I’ll tell you. Insanity mixed quite well with a dash of stupidity. About four bites into our burrito (for Mark) and quesadilla (for me), we were done. Luckily, the tobacco shop next door sold Tums, so we were ok for the next few hours. We had a bunch of time to kill before the movie (we had expected to eat a full meal…), so we wandered into Book Smart, the used bookstore on Hennepin Avenue. I had never been in the store before – working at Barnes & Noble you never really need to go to another bookstore. But it was fun to just wander through the aisles and check out some books that probably four people have read (the author, his/her spouse and his/her parents). It was a great way to waste the time away.
We finally made it over to the theater, and we were pleased to find that no crazies had decided to come to the movies that night.
Let me back up. Mark and I have a movie crazies attraction that we can’t seem to shake. In our two and a half years of dating, we have had a nice night out at the movies maybe four times. We’ve been to the movies a bunch, but only about four times without a crazy ruining the whole thing for us. At Love Actually, a woman sat in front of us eating a bologna sandwich and every time Hugh Grant appeared on stage, she would throw her arms up into the air and scream. At I Heart Huckabees, on opening weekend, a woman behind us keep making horrible remarks because we had dared to sit in front of her – in a SOLD OUT THEATER. At Chronicles of Narnia, we were two of eight people in the entire theater. The only other couple in the place (the other four were a family) decided to sit in the exact row in front of us in the exact two seats in front of us – and then proceeded to talk on their CELL PHONES during the entire film. And if you know Mark, you know that we didn’t move seats because of the principle of the matter – we were seated there first. For these reasons, and many others, Mark and I are wary of movie theaters. But I still love the movies and going to the movie theater, and because Mark loves me, he still goes with me. J
So with our bellies full of food it didn’t like and no crazies surrounding us, Mark and I settled in to enjoy a great film. I didn’t know a lot about Truman Capote prior to seeing the film. I knew he was an author and had written Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as In Cold Blood. Other than that, I was excited to learn about him and the process he went through while writing In Cold Blood.
I don’t want to go into the details of the movie itself for fear of ruining it for someone who hasn’t yet seen it. While I thought the movie was fascinating and a great way to spend a couple of hours, I don’t think that it is Oscar Best Picture worthy. The story was compelling, the acting amazing (more on that in a minute) and the cinematography well done, but it was not the best film that I saw all year. I often judge films based on how they impacted or affected me. Did I have to sit in the theater for a few minutes before I could allow myself to leave? Did I leave the theater feeling a connection to the characters? Am I still thinking about the film days and weeks later?
For this film, the answer was no. The film itself did not have the impact on me that I believe Oscar Best Picture films should have. Was I moved by the film? Yes. Did I enjoy the film? Yes. But I wasn’t so affected by the film that days later, I’m still thinking about it and analyzing it. I highly recommend the film, and I think it deserved a nomination. But I will be very surprised if this film wins Best Picture.
Now the acting is a different story. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote was phenomenal. I’ve always enjoyed watching him and have thought for years that he does not get the attention that he deserves. This man is a chameleon. He is able to morph into any role and play it with an amazing amount of ease. In this film, you can really see his acting style and his abilities shine through. He takes you on such a journey with this character. You hate him and feel for him and understand him and then don’t understand at all. From the films that I’ve seen so far, I think the Philip Seymour Hoffman deserves the Oscar for Best Actor hand down.
I urge you to see this film and come back to let me know your thoughts on it!
Heading home to WI this weekend, so I won’t be doing any fun things in the city. But I’ll be back next week!
We had planned on going so when I got home from work on Tuesday I quickly changed clothes and we headed out to grab a bite to eat before the movie. We weren’t sure where to go, and we didn’t have a lot of time, so we just headed for Uptown thinking we’d find a place. When we got to Uptown, for some unknown and ridiculous reason, we decided it would be a good idea to eat at Burrito Loco. Now, you may ask yourself, “What would make two people with severe stomach issues eat at a baby-size burrito from Burrito Loco before going to sit in a movie theater for two and a half hours?” Well, I’ll tell you. Insanity mixed quite well with a dash of stupidity. About four bites into our burrito (for Mark) and quesadilla (for me), we were done. Luckily, the tobacco shop next door sold Tums, so we were ok for the next few hours. We had a bunch of time to kill before the movie (we had expected to eat a full meal…), so we wandered into Book Smart, the used bookstore on Hennepin Avenue. I had never been in the store before – working at Barnes & Noble you never really need to go to another bookstore. But it was fun to just wander through the aisles and check out some books that probably four people have read (the author, his/her spouse and his/her parents). It was a great way to waste the time away.
We finally made it over to the theater, and we were pleased to find that no crazies had decided to come to the movies that night.
Let me back up. Mark and I have a movie crazies attraction that we can’t seem to shake. In our two and a half years of dating, we have had a nice night out at the movies maybe four times. We’ve been to the movies a bunch, but only about four times without a crazy ruining the whole thing for us. At Love Actually, a woman sat in front of us eating a bologna sandwich and every time Hugh Grant appeared on stage, she would throw her arms up into the air and scream. At I Heart Huckabees, on opening weekend, a woman behind us keep making horrible remarks because we had dared to sit in front of her – in a SOLD OUT THEATER. At Chronicles of Narnia, we were two of eight people in the entire theater. The only other couple in the place (the other four were a family) decided to sit in the exact row in front of us in the exact two seats in front of us – and then proceeded to talk on their CELL PHONES during the entire film. And if you know Mark, you know that we didn’t move seats because of the principle of the matter – we were seated there first. For these reasons, and many others, Mark and I are wary of movie theaters. But I still love the movies and going to the movie theater, and because Mark loves me, he still goes with me. J
So with our bellies full of food it didn’t like and no crazies surrounding us, Mark and I settled in to enjoy a great film. I didn’t know a lot about Truman Capote prior to seeing the film. I knew he was an author and had written Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as In Cold Blood. Other than that, I was excited to learn about him and the process he went through while writing In Cold Blood.
I don’t want to go into the details of the movie itself for fear of ruining it for someone who hasn’t yet seen it. While I thought the movie was fascinating and a great way to spend a couple of hours, I don’t think that it is Oscar Best Picture worthy. The story was compelling, the acting amazing (more on that in a minute) and the cinematography well done, but it was not the best film that I saw all year. I often judge films based on how they impacted or affected me. Did I have to sit in the theater for a few minutes before I could allow myself to leave? Did I leave the theater feeling a connection to the characters? Am I still thinking about the film days and weeks later?
For this film, the answer was no. The film itself did not have the impact on me that I believe Oscar Best Picture films should have. Was I moved by the film? Yes. Did I enjoy the film? Yes. But I wasn’t so affected by the film that days later, I’m still thinking about it and analyzing it. I highly recommend the film, and I think it deserved a nomination. But I will be very surprised if this film wins Best Picture.
Now the acting is a different story. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote was phenomenal. I’ve always enjoyed watching him and have thought for years that he does not get the attention that he deserves. This man is a chameleon. He is able to morph into any role and play it with an amazing amount of ease. In this film, you can really see his acting style and his abilities shine through. He takes you on such a journey with this character. You hate him and feel for him and understand him and then don’t understand at all. From the films that I’ve seen so far, I think the Philip Seymour Hoffman deserves the Oscar for Best Actor hand down.
I urge you to see this film and come back to let me know your thoughts on it!
Heading home to WI this weekend, so I won’t be doing any fun things in the city. But I’ll be back next week!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
1st Team Run
Ok, I have officially become on of the crazy people. Those crazy people that get up at the crack of dawn, get their gear on, and go running when it's 10 below outside. Yes, my friends, I have become one of those crazy people - and I LOVE IT!
This morning was my first team training session with my TNT teammates. The run started at 8am, and the team was to meet at Lake Calhoun. When my alarm clock went off at 7am, I wanted nothing more than to roll over and go right back to sleep. But I took five minutes, got myself up and started getting ready. I put on all my new gear - I did a little pre-run shopping at Target yesterday. I felt filled with enthusiasm and really ready to take on the day and the run!
And then I looked at the tempurature.
It was 10 degrees. And then, two minutes later, it was 8 degrees. And then, when I got in the car, the DJ stated that it was really 7 below with the wind chill.
My enthusiasm level decreased. In fact, my enthusiasm was gone. It went back to bed.
But I when I arrived at Lake Calhoun and saw all of the other runners gathering and stretching, it came back. A little. We started by introducing ourselves and the event for which we'd be training. Then we did a little group warm up and broke out into groups. I ran on Saturday morning, and I did a 10-minute mile. So, I joined the 10- to 11- minute mile group thinking that I'd just make it.
And I did make. It more than made it. I did great! We did a line run, which means that the whole group runs in a line, and the last person in the group has to run to the front of the line while stating something about themselves (name, college, favorite drink, etc.) That person was then at the front of the pack, and they set the pace until the next person came up. It made the time fly by, and was a great way to connect with the team. Before I knew it, the run was over!
It wasn't until after the run that the cold hit me. And it hit me HARD! While doing my post-run stretch with my teammates, my legs started to go completely numb and my hands were like ice. By the time I got in the car, my whole body was an icicle. I turned the heat on as high as it would go.
But I felt great. I was more motivated than ever to get in shape and prepare my body and mind for the major undertaking of a triathlon. And even more, I was motivated by the larger goal in mind - raising the funds that will one day find comfort and a cure for blood cancer patients. The people out there running with me today were friends, sisters, nephews, sons, husbands of someone with a form of blood cancer. One of our teammates is running for his wife - she's 24 and was just diagnosed with cancer. I have a feeling that one will stick me with throughout my training.
When I got home, I was still freezing. I jumped back into bed, but my adrenaline and excitement were pumping way too hard for me to rest. After a hot shower, I started to warm up. I'm still kinda warming up now, actually...
So, my first team training session was a major success for me. It made me really excited to face the next five months of training and fundraising. And speaking of fundraising...please note that the link to my personal fundraising website is now to the right. Please give if you can.
Up Next - not sure yet.
This morning was my first team training session with my TNT teammates. The run started at 8am, and the team was to meet at Lake Calhoun. When my alarm clock went off at 7am, I wanted nothing more than to roll over and go right back to sleep. But I took five minutes, got myself up and started getting ready. I put on all my new gear - I did a little pre-run shopping at Target yesterday. I felt filled with enthusiasm and really ready to take on the day and the run!
And then I looked at the tempurature.
It was 10 degrees. And then, two minutes later, it was 8 degrees. And then, when I got in the car, the DJ stated that it was really 7 below with the wind chill.
My enthusiasm level decreased. In fact, my enthusiasm was gone. It went back to bed.
But I when I arrived at Lake Calhoun and saw all of the other runners gathering and stretching, it came back. A little. We started by introducing ourselves and the event for which we'd be training. Then we did a little group warm up and broke out into groups. I ran on Saturday morning, and I did a 10-minute mile. So, I joined the 10- to 11- minute mile group thinking that I'd just make it.
And I did make. It more than made it. I did great! We did a line run, which means that the whole group runs in a line, and the last person in the group has to run to the front of the line while stating something about themselves (name, college, favorite drink, etc.) That person was then at the front of the pack, and they set the pace until the next person came up. It made the time fly by, and was a great way to connect with the team. Before I knew it, the run was over!
It wasn't until after the run that the cold hit me. And it hit me HARD! While doing my post-run stretch with my teammates, my legs started to go completely numb and my hands were like ice. By the time I got in the car, my whole body was an icicle. I turned the heat on as high as it would go.
But I felt great. I was more motivated than ever to get in shape and prepare my body and mind for the major undertaking of a triathlon. And even more, I was motivated by the larger goal in mind - raising the funds that will one day find comfort and a cure for blood cancer patients. The people out there running with me today were friends, sisters, nephews, sons, husbands of someone with a form of blood cancer. One of our teammates is running for his wife - she's 24 and was just diagnosed with cancer. I have a feeling that one will stick me with throughout my training.
When I got home, I was still freezing. I jumped back into bed, but my adrenaline and excitement were pumping way too hard for me to rest. After a hot shower, I started to warm up. I'm still kinda warming up now, actually...
So, my first team training session was a major success for me. It made me really excited to face the next five months of training and fundraising. And speaking of fundraising...please note that the link to my personal fundraising website is now to the right. Please give if you can.
Up Next - not sure yet.
Tuesdays with Morrie
Last year, for my college graduation gift, Mark bought me season tickets to the Broadway in Minneapolis series at the Orpheum Theater. We had some great shows - The Lion King, Movin Out and Sweet Charity, to name a few. We had such a good time that we decided to get season tickets again this year. My friend Megan and her boyfriend Ryan even decided to join us. We were a little disappointed with this season's shows, but were excited to again experience musical theater at one of our favorite venues. The first couple of shows were good, but we still weren't sold on this season's shows. But the latest performance brought out enthusiasm level right back up again.
On Friday night, after I had a quick happy hour with some of my favorite college gals, Kristin and Susie, I rushed home to get ready for our evening at the State Theater to see Tuesdays With Morrie. I was pretty tired after a long week at work, and when I got home I found that Mark, too, was tired and not overly thrilled with a night out. But after getting ready and eating a quick snack, I was in theater mood. We walked the FREEZING five blocks to the theater to find Megan and Ryan already inside trying to get warm. After finding our seats and chatting a bit about the venue, the show started.
Now, those of you who pay attention might be wondering why, if our season tickets are for shows at the Orpheum, we were seeing a show at the State Theater. Well, the show got moved a couple of weeks ago, and at the time I wasn't sure why. Well, the State Theater is a much smaller venue, and unfortunately, even that smaller venue wasn't filled for this great show. It always makes me a little sad for the actors when the theater isn't filled. I'm not saying it has to be a sold out show, but probably 1/3 of the theater was empty. It would make me sad if I were an actor and people didn't come to see my show. But that's just me.
Anyways, back to my story. The show was fantastic. I have never read the book, so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I mean, I was pretty sure that the old man died in the end. But I never knew how great the story is. You have this old, dying man with all of these words of wisdom, and you have this younger, healthy guy who initially can't even give his wife the time of day. It was a very touching and inspiring story, and the acting made the story come alive. I don't know much about Mitch Albom, but Mark and Ryan both said that the actor portrayed him perfectly.
I got so wrapped up in the story. Again, I knew that the old man died in the end, but it kind of snuck up on me. I found myself crying, and I mean really crying. (I was not the only one - quite a few of the women around me were shedding tears) It was so sad to watch the relationship end.
I always think it's got to be more difficult to play someone who actually lives or is still alive. In a completely fictional story, the actor who plays the character is able to develop that character, make him or her what he or she wants. But with a true story or well-known people, the actor has to get the tone, the mannerisms, the lifestyle of the person perfectly, or pay the consequences from the viewing public. So, here's my little salute to actors who play real people. Salute!
Anyways, the show was really great and I loved the State Theater. It has beautiful, ornate woodworking and wall murals. It was my first visit to the State Theater, and I can imagine that a concert there would be really great. Large enough to have a good crowd, but small enough to feel intimate with the artist.
Ok, now I'm just rambling to ramble. What I have to say is, Tuesdays with Morrie was good, I liked the State Theater, and actors are great. Now, I'm going to take a nap. Found out why I need one in my next post...
Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone!
On Friday night, after I had a quick happy hour with some of my favorite college gals, Kristin and Susie, I rushed home to get ready for our evening at the State Theater to see Tuesdays With Morrie. I was pretty tired after a long week at work, and when I got home I found that Mark, too, was tired and not overly thrilled with a night out. But after getting ready and eating a quick snack, I was in theater mood. We walked the FREEZING five blocks to the theater to find Megan and Ryan already inside trying to get warm. After finding our seats and chatting a bit about the venue, the show started.
Now, those of you who pay attention might be wondering why, if our season tickets are for shows at the Orpheum, we were seeing a show at the State Theater. Well, the show got moved a couple of weeks ago, and at the time I wasn't sure why. Well, the State Theater is a much smaller venue, and unfortunately, even that smaller venue wasn't filled for this great show. It always makes me a little sad for the actors when the theater isn't filled. I'm not saying it has to be a sold out show, but probably 1/3 of the theater was empty. It would make me sad if I were an actor and people didn't come to see my show. But that's just me.
Anyways, back to my story. The show was fantastic. I have never read the book, so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I mean, I was pretty sure that the old man died in the end. But I never knew how great the story is. You have this old, dying man with all of these words of wisdom, and you have this younger, healthy guy who initially can't even give his wife the time of day. It was a very touching and inspiring story, and the acting made the story come alive. I don't know much about Mitch Albom, but Mark and Ryan both said that the actor portrayed him perfectly.
I got so wrapped up in the story. Again, I knew that the old man died in the end, but it kind of snuck up on me. I found myself crying, and I mean really crying. (I was not the only one - quite a few of the women around me were shedding tears) It was so sad to watch the relationship end.
I always think it's got to be more difficult to play someone who actually lives or is still alive. In a completely fictional story, the actor who plays the character is able to develop that character, make him or her what he or she wants. But with a true story or well-known people, the actor has to get the tone, the mannerisms, the lifestyle of the person perfectly, or pay the consequences from the viewing public. So, here's my little salute to actors who play real people. Salute!
Anyways, the show was really great and I loved the State Theater. It has beautiful, ornate woodworking and wall murals. It was my first visit to the State Theater, and I can imagine that a concert there would be really great. Large enough to have a good crowd, but small enough to feel intimate with the artist.
Ok, now I'm just rambling to ramble. What I have to say is, Tuesdays with Morrie was good, I liked the State Theater, and actors are great. Now, I'm going to take a nap. Found out why I need one in my next post...
Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone!
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