running for a cure

remember when i said i was going to become a runner? 

well, it's week four and i am not giving up. although, i must say, it is not getting any easier. after every run it takes me 20 minutes to be able to take a deep breath and speak. i literally collapse on my front steps and lie there gasping for air- i am sure i look like a fish out of water. 

this week i am at 1.53 miles each time i run and i've been running four times a week (about every other day). today was a day off and i kind of missed the good feeling i get once it's over and i can feel accomplished. 

but, i've gotta take it easy on my ankle. last december, while walking to catch the bus for hiphop japanimation, i rolled my ankle. 11 months later it still throbs when i walk too much or run on it. and without health insurance i definitely cannot afford to hurt it. 

but, i'm keeping up with it- like i said i would. i'm hoping that some day soon it will become a little bit easier. 

this weekend we both did the the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure! 

We had to be out of bed at 6:45 am (no small feat for me) to get over to city park and pick up our numbers. There were 12,000 people all mingling waiting for the races to begin. First, we both ran the 1mile. Ben really ran it to keep me company. It was so early in the morning, i kept waking up all night, and then all of a sudden i was in a huge crowd of people running. While normally I do a very very slow mile- like 11 of 12 miles per hour- all these little kids around me were running so i ran the 1.2 miles in 9minutes. Then, Ben decided to do the 5K. He got into the middle of 12,000 people and started jogging. barefoot. trying to get around the old ladies and men who were walking. It was really exciting when he crossed that finish line. and i snapped a photo right before his sweaty self grabbed me. 

After (and during) the race there was music, lots of free food (bananas and yogurt AND jambalaya), and Tulane Med students were checking blood pressure etc. 

Wanna see?

happy.

scarf on my head was given to runners, after i cross the finish line

about to tackle me

i love him!

Ben won this for being one of the first # runners over the finish line

The other side of this medal says congrats from the Saints. 

Thanks saints. i was pretty proud of us already for waking up, raising some money, and running :)

Louisville

Last weekend we were lucky enough to get out of New Orleans for a couple of days and visit Ben's dad, Kingsley, and Sally at their home in Louisville, Kentucky. The last time we were able to get there was three years ago in their old house!!
We got to catch up with stories, try a great Indian restaurant, take a twenty mile bike ride, meet Sally's family and their neighbors, and enjoy the cool air. Ooh and sleep in our big comfy bed, which is so much nicer than our bed here. Then, it was time to leave. Although NOLA really is growing on me, it was hard to go back to our every day lives here.
Here are some photos from our Louisville weekend adventure (I only took a few as being behind the camera was not a priority):

their garden really flourished

giant okra

foliage! 

skatepark

that's one big slugger

catching letters at 21C hotel

train in Houston airport

home.

butternut squash soup

Everyone loves a good soup.

While i am actually cooking up a quick broccoli soup today, i thought i would write about my semi-recipe for butternut squash soup. i say "semi-recipe" because while i never actually follow recipes i do have a some general rules about how to make this and just switch a few things each time- depending on my mood.

So, start with one butternut squash. Stick the knife straight through the middle and then either yell for someone stronger who can force the knife through with his (yah, i use Ben) strength or tap the end of the knife with a hammer/mallet/whatever. Kudos to you if you can get it through yourself!

Scoop out the seeds (save them!).
Cut it into halves again, and again, and then again.

Season with salt and pepper. You can throw on some butter or olive oil.
Bake at 400 about 30min. Just until it's soft enough to scoop out.

Scoop out the flesh into a large pot.
Add 3 cups of broth.
Okay now go crazy and put in there some chopped onion, different spices, whatever.

It will cook down a lot.
Like this...

Now, hopefully you have a handy dandy handmixer thingy. Because you'll need it here.
Stick that mixer in and blend all of the ingredients until the soup is completely smooth.

Now add in about a half cup of heavy cream or milk- whatever you've got.

Last, you might want to grind in some fresh nutmeg. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Remember those seeds you saved? Rinse 'em off. Dust them with some sea salt and bake until they're warm and crispy. They are better than pumpkin seeds- so much flavor!

our grinder broke- giving out huge chunks of salt!

This really is the simplest recipe and is soo yummy. Feel free to mix it up whatever way you feel like! 

becoming a runner

our lovely bikes

It is so nice outside right now. October in N'awlins is like a Boston summer- the days are warm and then the nights are the teensiest tinniest bit chilly. Maybe I can wear long pants! But, my jeans can barely stretch up my thighs and then are two inches away from buttoning (no joke).

I am baking and eating desserts daily. I am also sitting on my butt on the couch searching for jobs, writing a blog, reading, watching tv…you get the picture. Which brings me to my new resolution: I am going to become a runner!

Let me first tell you: I hate running. I can honestly say I hate everything about running. I hate the thought of it. It just seeeems stupid, running around. I’m laughing now because I’m remembering Will Farrell in Anchorman talking about jogging and calling it “yogging.” But, back to my point- I really do hate running.

I actually have a long history of hating running. In middle school while the gym coach (who was a teacher my aunt and uncles had) screamed at us to do the President’s Challenge, or whatever it is called, I walked the entire mile. In high school I guess I may have jogged outside around my fathers house, but that was mostly because it was pretty. In college I did no physical activity until a roommate made me go to the gym with her and follow her strict routine. So, by the end of one summer I could work the elliptical or the treadmill for as long as I wanted and feel comfortable.

I don’t know who that girl on the treadmill was or how she came to be. But she definitely does not exist now. I know this because a few weeks ago I decided that I had to do something with my time and tried to go jogging around the neighborhood. Oh my goodness, it was hard. So, I gave up.

But becoming a runner has a lot more to it than just working off the cupcakes. I wrote my entire thesis on the mental health benefits and physical benefits of cardiovascular exercise (although I focused on children). I know that running will send some endorphins my way and lift my spirits. I think that will really help as I transition to living here. I also know that I dislike not being able to do something and for a long time I’ve wanted to be able to say that I am a runner. I just want to be able to run a few miles and not curl up in a ball on the side of the road. I want to accomplish this goal.

So, I decided to go running with Ben today. I've actually tried to start running a handful of times and after a few weeks I fail. This is why I need to go with Ben. He was kind enough to start the beginning of his normal run with a slow jog with me. (After we were done he ran for another hour +). While we “ran” he talked to me about how to run properly and kept a slow pace so that I didn’t overdue it. He also only took me a short distance so that I didn’t do too much the first day and give up tomorrow. We ran around the Garden District, looked at the great scenery, and went 1.30 miles. Not very long huh? But I had to stop halfway through because my lungs felt like exploding and I felt nauseous. YES, that is what kind of shape my body is in.

When we got home I felt great. The run was short and slow enough to get me going and not leave me exhausted. I went home and did my own yoga practice that left me feeling euphoric, peaceful, strong, and ready for anything.

I'm not sure I should have started today, but I really wanted to. The only problem was that yesterday we biked seven miles and then walked five. My poor leggies.

Now that I have put it out there that I am going to do this, I guess I have to. I'll probably run every other day at first and continue with a daily yoga practice. I'm excited that now I have to do this because I said I would. I'll keep checking in with my progress.

First day: 1.30miles.

audubon park

happiness lists

Okay, I have a much better peaceful calm today.

I must say, I did not practice yoga or meditate or even read a good book yesterday. I stayed in pjs. I went out for a coffee and that's it. Meh. Sometimes you have to let it all out, or else it turns into cancer (just sayin).

But before I let my whininess get out of control I wrote down a list of things that I'm grateful for that even Oprah would be proud of.

What i'm grateful for right now:

last fall in Arnold Arboretum, Boston '09

\ every day with Ben, it makes it all worth it

\ my basil plant 

\ daily yoga practice 

\ time to read for fun 

\ my camera

\ my health and that of my loved ones 

\ online communities and social media 

\ feeling safe in my neighborhood 

\ phone calls with old friends 

\ cheap candles that smell like autumn 

\ long days of sunshine 

\ yelp elite status 

\ living near starbucks 

\ saturdays- a whole day with Ben!

\ bike rides 

\ having time and a bigger kitchen to bake in

cupcakes October '09

I also decided to write a list of things that make me happy and that I can turn to in NOLA when i'm feelin down (yah, it's repetitive- i don't care because i love lists!):

b yoga

b time with Ben

b a good book

b walks outside  

b baking something new

b calling a friend

b riding my bike

b dancing

b sending letters

b photography

b chocolate

b helping others/making connections

b the tv show scrubs

b making lists....

flowers from Gramme B. Dec '09

Thanks to everyone who read my holiday heartache post and reached out to me. I appreciate it! Ben and I will welcome anyone who wants to over to our house for Thanksgiving and I'll cook up a huge meal! Also, we laughed last night about how fun Christmas was a few years ago when we had to stay alone in Boston because of my job :P 

Hope you're making peace with your "let-downs" today!

holiday heartache

With the start of fall I've been missing New England even more than I did when we first moved. I didn't even think that was possible. Maybe it's because as you settle into New Orleans you find all the problems of living here weighing down on your daily life. Or maybe it's because I miss pumpkin latte's, apple picking at the farm we've been going to for years, sweaters, playing with friends without sweating, changing leaves...okay, i'm not going to go on. You get the picture.

In New Orleans there aren't the normal seasons that I'm used to. As one person put it, the seasons here are: summer, football, holidays, and more summer.

{I should note though that we're having a cold-front today and it was in the low 80's (60's when Ben biked to school in the early AM!). I turned up the AC and put on jeans, pretending it was autumn, but then went outside and regretted the long pants.}

Anyway, I've been trying to look on the bright side of living someplace with a tropical climate- mainly that I won't be too cold in the winter. Although, Nola did get into the 30s last winter and it actually snowed! Southerners also get to experience more sun year round! But seeing photos of my friends in hats with the red and yellow leaves behind them makes my heart ache. So, I've really been looking forward to the next time I'll get to go home. Or Boston. Or New Hampshire. Any home. Basically, the North.

But then, we found out that we're staying right here for Thanksgiving. Okay, I can skip that holiday. I heard that flight rates are up the highest they've been in years for that weekend and flying to/from NOLA can be ridiculous anyway.
Maybe they televise the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade down here. (I did find a Red Sox bar- although it's too smoky for me to stay in for more than 5 minutes). I have worked twelve hour shifts on Thanksgiving before and it's hard but doable. I miss my moms turnips and spinach though. Oh well, I'll write in my journal about how I'm thankful for getting to spend time with Ben and look forward to my favorite holiday season.

I knew holidays would be tough. My dad lives in NJ. My mom and bro in CT. Ben's mom and bro in NH. Ben's dad in Kentucky/NH. His grandparents in various parts of MA/FL. My grandparents in CT/FL. It certainly is complicated. But, we spend Christmas at my family house in Greenwich and had planned to this year too.

Now i've found out that it is too expensive for us to both fly to CT for Christmas. My family is selling the only house that has been a family home for as long as I've lived and I'll miss the last Christmas at it. Ben won't see his family. I won't see my family. My maternal grandma and aunt are both ill and i won't see them. Maybe we'll skip the tree too. OMG, do they even have Christmas trees down here?!?!

Honestly, I took on a lot moving down here. Leaving everyone I love. Losing out on my doctoral degree. Needing to find a job where I have no connections. Knowing no one and having no ways to meet them since i'm jobless and petty-cashless. The darned lack of seasons.
But I guess I didn't think through possibly not seeing my friends and family for years.
I'm really trying to be "positive", "look on the bright side", and enjoy the present. But life is throwin me some curve-balls and I'm just about exhausted trying to swing at 'em.

That means something good must be coming around the corner, right? Maybe a fantastic job counseling at-risk youth and their families? Or baking cupcakes? Maybe winning the lottery (that i don't play). Maybe flights will suddenly become cheaper and easier!!
We'll see. But I have hopes that I'm gonna be smiling again soon.