Running Thoughts and... Randomness?

Do I want to go to the ADD type nature of tumblr with it's awesome lack of vowels and plenty of splashy pictures?  I feel like it'd be much more greatly entertaining for all probably 5 of you that read this HAH.  I will debates this.

This year in my running group, I'm trying out this atp-lite program which is once a week that is suppose to make us faster/stronger/yada.

Phase 1 wasn't too bad since it was basically jog 10 minutes, warm up routine, then 2 x 200 run fast then jog for 30 second. Then some sets of random exercises [squats, crunches, pushups, lunges, yada] and then comfortable jog for 25 mins.

But now we have moved on to phase 2 which is jog 10 minutes, warm up routine, then 2 x 200 run fast then jog for 30 second.  Sprint 400m, do diff # of exercises, repeat sprint + exercises, sprint, then 5 minute cooldown.  They kicked me out of the medium speed pace group I wanted to run with to the fast group so it was like dying.  But dying is how you get better right? :P

Where does time go + black&white cookies

Everyday I wonder what strange loophole time goes to.  I feel it must be the same place as all the lost socks, some parallel dimension never to be seen again.  There are never enough hours to do everything.

I've been trying to line up running event/plans schedule for the year and am still trying to sort that out.  Realized I'm another year older and still just about as confused about everything haha.  Have a slew of side projects I want to do (but never quite enough time).

Sometimes I want to be wildly ambitious and do everything and anything at all times.  But then other times, I get so tired of it all and want to just veg out.  But I seem to have problems finding some happy middle ground between the two.

On a totally unrelated topic, who came up with the idea of black and white cookies?  I brought some back from NY and I'm still undecided on whether I like them or not.  I feel they must have been created due to some person being confused if they wanted a cookie or a cake since they are basically giant cookies with the consistency of cake and some frosting on top.  Poor confused baked good.  People will put you out of your identity crisis by eating you.

May, why are you so confused?!?!

May.  Your weather is exceedingly strange.  First you're hot, then you're cold, windy, and rainy.  Make up your mind confused weather.  You should change into pleasant spring and summer weather.  Too many conflicting plans coming up, but it'll all work out somehow in a daze.

What are the plans?
May:

• On Sat - Watching a talk by Alton Brown at Monterey Bay Aquarium then poking around the aquarium and driving around. :)
• in a week, I'll be off to to NY for Lora's graduation and Stephy+my birthdays.  Anyone have suggestions on where/what I should be doing?

June:

• Wushu tournament volunteering and hanging out with ppl who will be visiting.

July:

• Super busy. Some mess of whitewater rafting, comiccon, and either 1 or 2 half marathons. :P

Now into the past weekend.  Went to Sent Sovi for a fancy pants tasting menu due to a Bloomspot deal expiring soon.  I love the involvedness of tasting menus.  There was an amuse-bouche and 7 course tasting menu.

1. amuse-bouche of some chicken liver + something paste on crostini with truffle oil
2. porcini mushroom soup with toasted cashews
3. maitake mushroom, frog, citrus and fennel salad
4. scallop with caramelized scallop kombu jus
5. melon sorbet with balsamic
6. lamb confit with wild mushroom ragout and purple potato
7. 3 cheese plate with honeycomb, nuts, dried fruits, and crostini
8. raspberry mousse, whipped single malt honey cream, and steel-cut oat cookie

Oh tasting menus make me happy though they also feel ridiculously indulgent.  Unfortunately it was pouring outside by the time it finished.

I am BAD at regular posts

Cleaned up the template I was using to be simpler.  Yay simple.  And it is already April and I still haven't posted anything since Feb.  I'm glad the weather is warming up since spring and summer clothes are just always so much happier than heavy winter clothes.  Also it means more walking of my cat.  Or rather walking him for about a minute before he gets scared inside.  So what has happened since that long ago post?

1. I bought a new bed!  It is a fancy pants overpriced memory foam mattress, but it's comfortable.  And if I bought a bed, it means I'm a grown up right?  hah.
2. Wise Man's Fear - Read it and was short of sleep due to it.  It's a wonderful book, probably one of the best developed storylines and characters I've read in a while.  I just don't really see how it will wrap up in only one more book and I'm sadly eagerly waiting for the next book out.  I also love the comic for summing up the first book.
3. Running [for reals] starts again with kickoff of marathon training group this week.  And I even managed to con convince a coworker to do it.
4. Went to snowboarding a smattering of times and SF beer festival.

Been wanting to cook lately.  What should I try to make?

Forgetfulness

It's easy to forget things especially parts of yourself.  Everything gets busy and you get caught up in it.  And then one day you look at it all and realize you have just been going and going and not really reflecting on the huge dichotomy between how things are and how you wished they were once.  Those crazy big plans to be brave and free and travel the world and learn new languages and try things.  

Umpteenth Round of New Year's Resolutions 2011

So every year, I decide I'm going to be awesome and make resolutions again.  I guess it means we're getting old when a year seems to have passed by quickly with as much confusion as there ever was.  It was a year full of work and fun.  Things are generally good all in all so here are some new resolutions.

• Do things.  Too much of my time was spent thinking or debating about doing things in 2010 and probably also in prior years.  So this year I will try to debate less and just go for things.  Included in this is helping my sister study for GREs.  Though I suppose the crazy auto-rickshaw ride shall be included in this.  I really would like to surprise myself with something I did.  

• Exercise.  The most cliched of all new year's resolutions, but I would like to get into better shape than I've been in before.  In general it makes me happier and also prepares me for whenever zombies invade.  Along those lines, I would like to actually run a marathon this year if I don't get sidelined by injuries again like last year.

• Be kinder.  Namely to myself.  Through the years, I've had moments of great antagonism to myself so I think a good goal for this year is to just try to let that go.  I can mess up and it is not always the end of the world so I should stop beating myself up pointlessly. 

• Cook more.  Try more new dishes and throw more dinners.  Allows me to keep in touch with people better.

All in all, I think I just want a year where I believe I can do anything and great things happen with serendipitous encounters with friends, delicious food, good times, and the madness of enjoying life.

It's Already Almost December :(

I wonder if this is a sign that we're old or just getting increasingly forgetful since it's already almost December and I have no idea where all the time slipped away to.  Soon, I'll be back home and can properly squash my cat.  My poor stupid cat who managed to close the door of my bedroom and trap himself in until my sister managed to free him.  Sad loud neurotic cat. 

Slew of upcoming movies that I want to see are:

• Black Swan: Anything directed by the guy who did Requiem for a Dream can't be bad. And it's a psychological thriller set in ballet with Natalie Portman.  
• Tron: Vague memories of watching the original a long time ago [was it really 9 years ago in AP CS?] and it's in 3D.

Also ridiculously excited about the mini food processor I bought on Black Friday so now I can make pesto and other sauces much more easily.  It'll be great.

I feel like December will just be tiring overall since stuff will happen all over the place for it. But I guess that's the way I like it. :P  I like being so busy I don't have time to think hah.  And maybe our holiday food experiment will work out if we manage to not be lazy. 

Managed to buy a collection of web comics Grunnerkrigg Court and find it to be really enjoyable.  It is sort of like Harry Potter except it follows this girl through a very British boarding school and there are robots and gods and such.