Stories of Greatness

The Great Outdoors - Ebenezers

2012-01-26T09:03:00.002-05:00

Our Ebenezer

We had an impromptu visit to Phoenix this weekend. Making a little mini Pittsburgh Reunion. Because it was Phoenix and we were with Pittsburgh friends of course we spent the whole weekend outdoors hiking. Our friend Jen happened to be in a boot from a broken foot and so we keep it somewhat simple. The last time we went to Phoenix we built an ebenezer and this time we spent our Sunday morning doing the same thing. We hiked through Superstition Canyon. It ended up being a great hidden place in the wilderness. It made you feel like you were the only ones up there, there were no signs of urban sprawl or civilization, aside from the other hikers. It was absolutely fabulous and in more ways than one breathtaking.

Diary of A Slogger, issue 6

2012-01-24T16:22:00.000-05:00

I had a bad run today. Those ones where you aren't going any farther or faster and yet your body feels like it's doing double time. I am not sure if this happens to everyone, but it happens to me every once in a while and it sucks. Today was not one of the days that motivate me to keep running, it just gives me sympathy for those who say running and exercising sucks.

I always try to think of what I did wrong. Not enough of a warm up? Not enough or the wrong kind of food? I can never really put a finger on what is going on. This weekend we hiked quite a bit and my legs have been a little sore, maybe that has effected their ability. I also hadn't went for a run since Wednesday, I've been trying to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday every week.

I know that for me the trick to make myself keep going is two fold. First, set up a goal, like "you only have to go to the next intersection", once I get there I set up another. Yes it is lying to myself, but it certainly works. Second, I remind myself that the more days I put between this run and my next one, the harder it will be.

Do you ever have "bad runs"? What causes it? What do you do to keep going?

Writing

2012-01-17T16:48:00.000-05:00

Pretty much since I can remember I wanted to write. I use to say that I wanted to be a marine biologist, but didn't every girl of my generation? I have been told by a few people that I can write, whatever that actually means. But I need to get over myself, more like my pride, and see what I can really do. That is why I want to start sharing things here. I know that most of the people who read this blog know me really well. I would rather you guys break my heart, than some random person I don't know. So don't look at it as breaking my heart, though I just used that phrasing, rather as sobering me into seeing something I can't see on my own.

I thought I would start with something small. I wrote a few of poems a bit ago. I was trying to get into the habit of writing on a regular basis. They were my first foray into poem writing and I am sure their form is probably all off. Poem writing is sadly a fading art form. After trying it myself, I have more appreciation for poets and the particular way they weave words together. Anyway, please let me know what you think, honestly.

#1

As the road winds long
around the wilting tree
The shining burns bright
off the hollow, stolen fruit
What stories does it tell
as it’s hung long?
What mysteries are kept
under it’s gleaming thin
skin?

The water drips down, down deep
Reaching dark into the chasm
It’s echo heard faint from the top
after straining far from the light
And as it falls down, down deep
you too seep into the hole
of black-filled dreams and cheerless cold.

Mary Oliver is a poet I have been enjoying recently. I would encourage you to read her work, particularly American Primitive, if this gets you in the mood to read poems.

Relapse - Part 2

2012-01-13T15:02:00.000-05:00

I had finally gotten a handle on my last relapse. I was doing P90X again, biking, climbing; it was wonderful. Then we decided to move and everything got all gummed up.

Thankfully California is a great place to get back into healthy habits. Ben and I have been biking, walking on the beach and visiting some great hiking places around. All of which would not be normal middle-of-January activities. More importantly I have getting myself back into the normal routine of activity. I don't have any new "advice" to share since my last relapse, but I still wanted to post on this maybe just for some level of camaraderie.

After going back and forth about whether or not to run again, I finally decided to do it. For me running feels good. Today as I ran only about a mile I remembered that it makes me feel like I am going and getting somewhere. My lungs were burning and my legs were saying B**** please, but I keep telling myself that was because I haven't ran in probably 6 months. Soon the burning will dull and my legs will remember what it's like to work. As long as I keep pushing myself, keep getting out there, keep going. Maybe a great analogy for many things in life.

Hopefully this will be your encouragement to get out there and just do it, no matter how little or long, how slow or fast, how far or short. Thanks to my running friends for your unknown encouragement, especially Lauren and Jen.

"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today."

Our New Bi-coastal Lifestyle

2012-01-10T19:35:00.000-05:00

After some motivating words from different people and all the new things I seem to want to say, I have decided again to start up the blog...again.

Much has changed between the last time I wrote, which was only about 6 months ago. We are now living in Los Angeles, which has been a terrifying and wonderful change. The majority of my new posts are probably going to involve my reflections on this place and what it's like to start from scratch. Why did we decide to move across the country? It seemed exciting. It was by the beach. The weather is undeniably better than Pittsburgh. It is a large and diverse city. We can bike year around and go to farmer's markets. All these things are great, but none of them are worth leaving behind our community, our family. It is a wonderful thing to be surrounded by people who don't just love you, but know you. Something we have missed greatly in the last month that we have been here. The reason we left was because we couldn't deny that something was pushing us here. The doors kept being opened for us to come to this place. I don't know what wonderful things God has here for us, but I know that we aren't big/strong/important enough to mess up his plan. He is larger than our mistakes. And it is with that hope that we enter a new stage of our life. How ever brief it may be that we are here, we are ready for what it holds for us.

A great way to start a new year, with possibilities.

Take a deep breath of life
and consider how it should be lived....

Call nothing your own except your soul.
Love not what you are, but only what you may become.

Do not pursue pleasure
for you may have the misfortune to overtake it.

Look always forward:
in last year's nest, there are no birds this year.

From Man of La Mancha, By Dale Wasserman

Flashback Friday with Heya Sparky!

2011-06-24T09:23:00.000-04:00

My friend Lauren does an amazing blog called Heya Sparky. It's really great and you should all check it out. As part of her blog, she does a weekly post called "Flashback Fridays". Here she shares an old photo of herself and a story to go along with it. She has asked a few others to join in on the fun and "link up". Lauren, hopefully I am doing this right.

From Top Left, Clockwise: My Mom, My Brother, My Sister, My Niece and Me

I am the little on the left. This photo was taken the last time I lived in Pittsburgh, well Aliquippa, in the early 90s. My father grew up there and my parents decided for some crazy reason to leave sunny California to come back...who knows? My brother and sister, amidst their crazy lives ended up visiting at the same time once. So this is one of the photos of a visit I will never forget. It would be almost 10 years before my mom had all of her children in one place again, and she has never had all of her grandchildren in one place. My niece and I played and played and we were all a family together. Thanks for the marvelous life family, I wouldn't want any other crazy!

Thanks, Lauren this was fun!

Primal Apple Crisp

2011-06-22T07:01:00.000-04:00

I mentioned previously that I was taking a trip into Primal land. If you don't know what that means then you can go here to check it out a bit. Basically, it is a theory that we should eat as our ancestors ate, our cavemen ancestors. Meaning a heavy reliance on meat and animal fats, no grains, legumes(beans), sugar, vegetable oils or potatoes. That is a very basic take on it, but if you are interested I encourage you to check out the website.

Friends of mine are also doing the Primal thing so I decided to make a dessert we could all enjoy. I was thinking that fruit dessert would be easiest, and decided to modify an apple crisp recipe. Below is what I make and I think it turned out pretty good. As I was making it I forgot that honey is an "acceptable" sweetener, so this is made without any additional sugar. However, if I made it again I would probably put honey on the apples, though it was sweet enough without it.

Primal Apple Crisp

Prep Time 30 mins : Bake Time 30 mins : Serves 12
Ingredients
8 Apples¹
1/2 Cup walnuts
1/2-1 Cup Raisins
1/2-1 Cup Craisins(Dried Cranberries)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
nutmeg, optional
ginger, optional
cloves, optional

1/4 cup quinoa flakes²
1/2 cup coconut flour³
1 cup almond meal⁴

1/2 cup butter(1 stick)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core and slice the apples. If you are particular about your apples then feel free to peel them as well.
2. Place the apples, walnuts, craisins and raisins in a bowl and toss them with whichever spices you have chosen to use, but with at least the cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

3. Combine quinoa flakes, coconut flour and almond meal in a bowl. Use a pastry blender to mix in 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick).
4. Spread apple mixture into a 9x13 pan. Use remaining 1/4 cup butter by cutting into pads and distributing over the mixture. Spread topping mixture evenly over the apples.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are bubbling and topping is browned. Like any crisp, this too would be delicious with ice cream or whipped cream, though not necessarily primal.

Foodnotes
¹Often times apple dessert recipes call for granny smiths or special baking apples. Anytime I bake with apples I use whatever apple I want or is on sale. I am sure there are reasons for using specific apples, but I have never had issues with any of the ones I've tried. This time I used gala, pink lady and braeburn.
²I have only found out about this craziness of quinoa flakes, they had them in bulk at our food co-op. They are suppose to work very similarly to rolled oats and they substituted marvelously for this recipe.
³The coconut flour I found was Bob's Red Mill. I am sure you can find some online, though I got ours at our co-op. The package said it could be substituted for up to 1/3 of the flour in recipes. I used only it because I wasn't actually baking a cake or bread or anything that needed to rise in anyway.
⁴You can buy almond meal, it can get rather expensive sometimes. But my almond meal I made using my food processor. This recipe also had some walnuts in the "almond" meal.

Kill Your TV

2011-06-16T07:01:00.041-04:00

...no really.

I am not a crazy anarchist, or even an extreme activist, but I have seen great benefits come from not having a television or mass amounts of media in my life recently.

About 3 months ago, I would check IMDb at least once a day. I am a film person, I went to university for it, and so it was quite an interest of mine. I wanted to be caught up on what movies had come out, who was working on this, who was being honored with awards and, yes, a little bit of who was dating who. For a few days I had been busy and for one reason or another hadn't gone onto the site. Then I thought, maybe I should see if I can not go on for longer, can I really do this? I think at the point when I really wanted to go to it and had to shut the computer and walk away, was when I realized I guess I was slightly addicted to it. Now, I am at a place where I could kind of care less. I actually hadn't realized that X-Men: First Class had come out until I saw an ad for it on Google. This was the first step in me understanding what role I want media playing in my life.

When Ben and I were in China, especially this last trip, we were on media overload. I basically slept, ate, watched television and exercised, while watching television. I was watching American Idol, like we had to get home from dinner so I could watch it. Now I understand this was partly because I was feeling incredibly isolated and wanting my own culture and interaction desperately. Either way, I had become accustom to watching television, which I hadn't had before. When I got back home, that feeling of being starving for community could be fulfilled by hanging out with anyone I ever knew, any time I could, leaving no time or longing for TV. We had a television in the living room that we used mostly for movies or gatherings. I decided I didn't want it taking up space anymore, and we chose to move it out of the living room. I was never a huge fan of television and aside from China, I hadn't watched television much since high school. But even with the level that I watched, getting rid of the TV was one of the best decisions I have made in recent history.

Recently, Ben and I were doing some moderate yard work. He looked at me and said something like I hate yard work, why did we buy a house? I responded that I didn't mind it so much. What else would we be doing? We both looked at each other and said watching TV? That was confirmation enough to me that living without a television was a good idea. I have so much extra time and so much less thought spent on media. I feel like I am going over to the dark side of hippy-ism by saying this, but my brain feels less cluttered. This combined with my listening primarily to NPR or our local station, WYEP, have made me rather unaware of what is going on in mainstream media. I have become ignorant to who the rising star is, what films to look for and, right, who is sleeping with who. This is an ignorance that I have been glad to accept, one that has made me a happier me.

I would encourage you to take some time away from your television and media. I have heard before that people do media fasts or have one day a week without media. I am sure that this could be effective. Though, I would prefer the extreme of turning all of the televisions into fish bowls.

How much television do you watch? Do you consume it via the interwebs? Have you tried to do a media fast or decrease your amount of watching?

Relapse

2011-06-13T07:19:00.171-04:00

After all of my zeal and motivation, my excitement and perseverance, it's happened to me too. I have relapse into laziness. Well maybe not exactly laziness, but definitely not a regular exercise schedule and definitely not eating well. When I realized what was going on, I decided to take a step back and look at what happened. After some examination, I figured out why things had changed and set up ways to stop it from happening again.

Time

This is an easy one, one that we all share. Where does all the time go? It is also the springboard for everything else. When I started working at my new job, everything had to be consolidated. I went from having five days to fill, to one day. That was difficult. I don't understand how all of you full-timers do it. I really don't, let me take this space to applaud you for your amazingness. ::applause:: But when it comes down to it everyone knows that we all make time for the things we find important. If you really want to watch TV, then you stay up late and watch it. If you have to read your favorite blog, then you sacrifice your lunch hour. Why not do this for things better than TV, but don't stop reading blogs :)

Buddies

Can't possibly get up to run in the morning, run in the evening with a friend. Exercise buddies are the best. If you pick the right one, they help keep you on track. If not, they can become your ice cream buddy instead. You want to pick someone who you can stand up to and who can stand up to you. When you don't want to go, they do and vis versa. They need to be able to push you without it feeling like criticism. That usually means someone pretty close to you, like a best friend, but not always. Here is more on exercise buddies, specifically in the area of running.

Combos

I have had the pleasure of being able to ride my bike to work. It has been a time effective way for me to exercise, get to work and have some time to myself. Try to think of ways that you can combine different activities in your schedule. Maybe you too can bike to work, it is really awesome. Maybe you can take the bus, which usually causes you to walk more than driving. If you have to drive to work, park as far away as possible and walk to your building. You know those people you see on lunch break, wearing business clothes and tennis shoes. Become one of them. If you have an hour break, it doesn't take an hour to eat. Or even a half hour. Join a co-worker or two and walk around your building or a few blocks during lunch. See if your boss will let you replace your desk with one of these:

If you can't get away with that, ask if you can switch out your desk chair for a stability ball. Here are some super easy "exercises"/stretches to do at your desk. You can even try walking to the grocery store or farmer's market when you are only picking a few things up. Take advantage of the great summer weather and get outdoors.

Plan

You can read all over the interwebs that meal plans are cost effective, help you lose weight and waste less food. I believe wholeheartedly that this is true, but that doesn't make it any easier to actually do. When I do have a chance to plan, one "meal" that I feel gets lost in planning is snacks. I don't think that snacks are horrible, and I think it is unreasonable for you to think that you will never snack again in your life. Situations happen, especially the mid-afternoon my-brain-is-melting-into-the-keyboard-ooo-cookies. I try my hardest to pack a snack. Usually this consists of some almonds and a mix of other nuts we have in the house. Sometimes it will be a piece of fruit or craisins. I have recently started doing a Primal thing and anticipating my craving for crunchy chip/cracker type things, I got roasted seaweed snacks. If you are a fan of seaweed or sushi, these are simply nori-like sheets that are salted and, in my opinion, super tasty.
Also, when you are planning, have back ups for your back-ups. Remember that time when your friend told you their hard drive crashed and they lost everything? And you responded with, well don't you have an external drive? Yeah, but I hadn't backed it up recently. I am not going to lie, I love schedules and plans. I find it really fun to figure out timing and writing up menus and making lists. But sometimes you forget your list, or the avocados are way too expensive. This is when you need a back up. Have some extra meal ideas that take less time in case you had to stay late at work and the chips and salsa dinner is calling you when you get home. When you do have time to make dinner, make extras. Then package them in lunch sized containers. I have leftovers for lunch everyday, it's so much more satisfying than say a sandwich.

I realized that I also have to be patient with myself...again. While getting back into habits and routines that you once had, times can be difficult. I know what I use to be able to do and in my mind I should still be able to do it. But you have to realize that you aren't going to be able to go from where you are now to where you were. It is going to take time...again. The positive side is that you know you can get there. You know you are strong enough, you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!

Anybody have any other advice to get things rolling again after a relapse?

Fermentation Update

2011-06-10T07:01:00.028-04:00

I posted earlier about my new venture into fermented foods. I put the glass jars on top of one of our kitchen cabinets so that I wouldn't look at it everyday and mess with it. Which was a rather good idea because I totally forgot about them after a while. When the month had passed we pulled them down and found some interesting things.

First, the sauerkraut has shifted. Apparently I hadn't pressed it down enough, because it expanded above the liquid level. This made me nervous, but there didn't appear to be any mold on the top. There were little stripes of white, but they didn't look like mold. The carrots also had some white that settled at the bottom which I couldn't remember if it was there before or not.

At the time Ben and I were both really sick and so we decided to wait until our immune systems had recovered before putting potentially harmful food into our bodies. A couple weeks later I got around to remembering that the fermented foods existed. We happen to be sitting down with some friends and asked them what they thought of their condition. We decided to open them up and see how they smelled. The sauerkraut was very strong smelling, but not unexpected. The carrots smelled like carrot wine, or at least what I think it would smell like. It was very interesting. Ben and I decided to each try a little bit of the sauerkraut and see if we'd die through the night.

::suspense:: We didn't die! We also didn't feel ill which would be a lot more likely.The sauerkraut taste was everything I imagined and more; definitely the best sauerkraut I have ever had.

About a week later we tried the carrots. When I went to the presentation, it was explained that they would be like carrot sticks. This is not what I they were like, at least not the carrot sticks I think of. They became entirely mushy once you try to remove them from the jar. They are also incredibly strong in flavor, and that's coming from someone who likes strong flavors. I am not sure if we let them go for too long or if I cut them is too small of pieces, but we won't be making them again. Right now I am trying to come up with an idea for how to use them in a recipe or something. I am thinking of trying to make a kimchi and adding them to that.

Verdict:

Sauerkraut will definitely happen again, I have been enjoying it a whole bunch. Carrots might happen again, but maybe using this recipe instead.

Is anyone else going to try it? Or have you fermented foods before?

CHICKENS!

2011-06-08T07:03:00.001-04:00

I have always been a city girl. I love going camping in the woods, but rural areas kind of give me the heebee geebees. That is why we bought a house in the city and I went to college in the city, I just love "the city". Recently though I have been having these incredible urges to just want to do manual labor. I started having these thoughts that maybe I was wrong and what I really desire is to be a farmer. Which seems crazy because I don't have any experience with handling animals. I have barely ever been on a farm or really seen even a chicken in real life. But I do have a longing to reconnect with my food.

I am not exactly sure when I first had the thought that I wanted chickens. It was somewhere after deciding that I not only really liked eggs, but, more importantly, felt it was okay to eat them. This thought, like most, grew into an idea, and then slowly became a reality. It started with looking up the local laws and regulations. I thought that this would be easy, I guess I forgot I live in Pittsburgh. Then I had to actually do research into what type of chickens, how big of a space they would need and what type of coop I would want to build. I started with going to a friend who also has chickens and asking him for advice. Gleaming knowledge from him and the people he referred me to made me confident that this was something I could actually do.

The Basics

Chickens are one of the easiest "farm" or livestock animals to have. The reason that urban backyard chickens are popular is because you can actually have them in an urban environment, they don't require much care or space. (though more space than some factories would have you believe)

Local Laws & Regulations
We live in a society, and world, filled with rules and restrictions. The first step towards owning chickens is understanding what you can and cannot do. Some cities/towns/boroughs have general laws, others are very specific. One law here in Pittsburgh says we are not allowed "fowl at large". Sometimes it is very difficult to figure out what your specific legal boundaries are and when you do it might still be difficult to get the right permits. Two of the best online compilations of chickens law are City Chicken and Chicken L.O.R.E. But do some of your own research as well.

Also, though it usually isn't part of the law, you should really talk to your neighbors, at least the immediate ones. They might be just as clueless about chickens as you were. You can help to quell some of their potential fears and concerns, and share your newfound poultry knowledge.

Space & Housing

I have seen some pretty creative ways people have housed chickens in small areas, but here are some things to think about.

Coop
The henhouse is where your chickens will sleep at night. The coop needs to be completely sealed and protected. At night chickens enter an almost trance-like state and will not be able to protect themselves or even run away from predator. For the coop you want at least 2-3 ft² per chicken. You also have to have a "roost". This can be anything that resembles a branch. The chickens actually roost at night, they sleep on the branch.

Fenced Area or Run
In most cities, you can't have your chickens just wondering around and you don't want them to be. Depending on the chicken and if they will be supervised while out, will help determine what kind of fence or run you need to create. Sometimes also clipping the chickens wings, which is completely harmless to them, can make it possible for you to have a shorter fence. The chickens we have are really docile and haven't flew over the 3 ft. fence we have, yet. For a proper run, you should have at least 4-5 ft² per chicken.

When you've determined that you have enough space in your backyard to house a coop and a run, you need to decide how you are going to get them. You can purchase already built coops or you can make them yourself. You can pay thousands of dollars or you can build something with all scrap.There are plans everywhere for coops, search online until you find one you like and is equivalent to your skill level :) If you want to go the pre-made way, the Eglu is supposed to be rather cool, but expensive.

Breed
Once you've figured out that you can legally have chickens and have physical space for them, you need to find which breed is the best for you. What are you looking to get out of this? Eggs or a pretty pet?

The Sultan chicken on the left is going to produce much fewer eggs than say a Rhode Island, because they were breed for their looks not their eggs. Also, you need to think of what environment you are in. Some breeds are more hearty while others require cooler temperatures.

You also need to decide if you are going to raise the chicks or get laying (grown) hens. Since we received our chickens at a year old I have no real experience here. I have heard that chicks are really cute, but can also be work. There are also specific laws about buying chicks vs. chickens. Most of the people I know ordered their chicks online, which seems really ridiculous. To learn about raising chicks, go here.

You can find a complete list of breeds and their various characteristics here.

Care
When you finally get your chickens, coop and run, you'll want to know what to do with them. The chickens need to be let out in the morning. They will roam around and graze, mostly just eating and pooping. Because of the poop, you will need to hose things down. Depending on what method you use for litter, you can clean the coop every 1-2 weeks or 1-2 times a year. This is the Deep Litter Method. As it gets dark, they will naturally go back into the coop and settle onto the roost. You need to close and secure the coop. Sometimes they need a little encouragement with returning to the coop. If we know we are not going to be home by sundown we put them back in their coop early to avoid any danger. They also need water, especially on hot days like we have had recently, and food, though the amount they consume will vary depending on how much they've grazed or been given treats. You also need to be aware and watch for their health. Here is a little guide to some basic issues.

Links
Urban Farm Store - They have some great resources, I would also highly recommend their book "A Chicken in Every Yard" it is really easy to read and super informative.

Backyard Chickens - A wonderful online resource with pretty much everything you can think of.

All that is left to do is enjoy the eggs and the entertainment your flock brings. I can watch scratch-scratch-peck for hours. And how large and delicious the eggs will be!

This is in no way a comprehensive guide to chickens, but it is at least enough to get you started thinking about it. Do you have chickens or advice to give? I love hearing chicken stories!

Baked (Fried) Green Tomatoes

2011-06-06T07:16:00.081-04:00

I don't really remember this movie, because I saw it so long ago. But I am pretty sure I really liked it.

Tomato season is soon upon us, and if you check out your local farmer's markets it has probably already hit. I was lucky enough a couple of weeks ago to find some beautiful green tomatoes. I was unable to resist their color. The classic fried green tomatoes is what I decided to make, but I wanted to see if I could make them tasty if they were baked. The result was pretty delicious, without the dripping oil.

Look at that amazing green

Baked Green Tomatoes

Prep Time 10 min : Cook Time 30 min : Servings 10

Ingredients:

Breading¹
1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1/2 Cup Unseasoned Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
Hot Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Buttermilk
6 Green Tomatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tops off of the tomatoes and continue to slice, crosswise, down the fruit.²
2. Combine the breading ingredients in a shallow bowl and mix well.
3. Place the buttermilk in a bowl, I usually start with a little bit (1/2 Cup) then add more when I need it.
4. Set up the breading train. Don't worry about keeping you fingers clean, your efforts will be futile.
5. Start with the buttermilk on both sides and then the breading.
6. Spray or grease a baking sheet. Place breaded slices on the sheet and the sheet into oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake for another 15 minutes.
7. They should be golden brown and delicious. Serve immediately with homemade ranch dressing, because they are the best piping hot.

Foodnotes
¹This isn't a precise measurement. It will depend on how well you bread each slice and how much they want to hold. You may need to add some more to the mix.
²One of the great things about green tomatoes is that they are firm and super easy to cut. You can use all those extra little tops and bottoms in a green tomato salsa.

The Great Outdoors - Trekking through the Desert

2011-06-02T07:52:00.000-04:00

We are lucky enough to have a friend who is temporarily living in Phoenix. He has an apartment and so we planned a trip there to take advantage of the opportunity. We planned to start in Phoenix and stay there for a few days before driving up to Las Vegas. If I would have went back to Phoenix two years ago, we would have spent our time hanging out, going to a movie, eating tons of Mexican food and maybe sitting by the pool. But my lifestyle has changed. I wanted to get outside and do things, hike, climb, etc. I wanted to soak up as much Vitamin D as I could and work for it. Most people would look at this as a good change, and I do to, but that doesn't mean that lifestyle changes are any easier.

Camelback Mountain - The Railing of Doom

After climbing up some nice sized steps and weaving a path along the edge of the mountain, this was what awaited us. The rock was so steep and smooth that they decided to put up railings to help people get through this section of the trail. This was where I had my first freak out of the trip. My hands were too sweaty and I didn't trust my feet to hold. I tried to just boulder up it without using the railing, but it wasn't working. I was scared that I would get to a certain point and then not be able to go up or down and resolve to just live my life on the middle of this rock. I kept thinking, this is silly, there's a railing, it should be the easy part, but it wasn't. I was setting up a mental block on getting up this part of the trail. I was thinking about it too much rather than just going, doing. I watched as person after person passed me and climbed up to the top. At some point the Jillian kicked in and started yelling "Are you going to let that dog show you up?" I stopped thinking about it and climbed up. It was still really scary and I was thinking about what would happen on the way back down, but I stood at the top with some satisfaction.

South Mountain - Just a pile of Rocks

South Mountain was much more of your average hiking trail. There wasn't any even mild bouldering and aside from the gradient, it wasn't much work. (We even did some trail running to help liven things up.) When we reached one of the peaks we saw this strange pile of rocks. We decided it was an ebenezer. Ebenezer is translated to "stone of help". We all picked up rocks and told God what we were thankful for. Where we had felt his presence and his help in our lives. Then we added our stones to the pile. It was a really awesome moment. It might have just been a pile of rocks that were moved away from the trail, but we made it an ebenezer. We saw God in it.

Right before the rocks was an old stone sacrificing table. We used it too.

There was definitely something spiritual happening up on that mountain.

Red Rock - It Doesn't End With Me Getting to the Top of the Mountain

Red Rock is one of the most beautiful natural areas of it's kind, especially that I have physically been at. The rock is literally red in areas from the iron deposits and it has created one of the greatest climbing areas in the country. There are all different levels of hiking/climbing, from strolling through the desert and admiring the beautiful colors to lead climbing up a rock face. We settled somewhere in between. There was some bouldering and some "difficult" hiking. There was no definitive path, just kind of finding your way up the mountain. To date this rock has pushed me farther past my comfort levels than most other things.(Especially if I qualify that with things in this country that don't have to do with cross-cultural experiences) There were multiple freak out moments, much more significant than Camelback. This was mostly because falling was much farther at Red Rock. There was a lot of "I can't do this. I can't do this" in the crazy girl voice.

In the end, I didn't get to the top. I didn't conquer the rock. I didn't look it in the eyes and tell it I wasn't scared, because I was scared. But I did go farther than I thought I could. I still pushed myself past points I didn't know I could be pushed. I very rarely have moments where I can physically see "cliches" in my life. Usually I just know that they exist in the world. (In fact the cynical person in me can't believe I am even writing this, especially using these words. But I am so I am trying to get over it.) But for me Red Rock that day was about not always reaching big goals, but pushing past limits you set up for yourself, most of which end up being subconscious. I might not have made it to the top, but I tried my hardest and I got farther than I was expecting. I showed myself that if I can push to this point, maybe next time I can push to the top.

I don't know what exactly I am trying to say with all this. You don't always reach the end, but that doesn't mean you've failed. You can find God and His presence in many places, even when you're not looking. Little freak outs along the way can be good for you, they sober you into appreciation and recognition. Arizona and Nevada are really beautiful country and you should go there. I'm not sure, but it was a great trip. I feel like I changed a bit and therefore it was worth sharing with you. I hope at least someone enjoyed it, it was for you.

...And we're back.

2011-06-01T07:46:00.000-04:00

So it's true the hiatus was rather large, but so much has been happening...and I have been really busy...and I got a job...and, yeah I just stopped blogging. Sorry. But I'm back now.

I have what I think are rather fun posts to share. Including...

CHICKENS!
We got chickens! I am super, crazy excited about this and want to share why it's wonderful and you should do it too! Chickens!

Recipes
Though there wasn't much response to the Recipe of the Week poll, I love cooking too much to not share it on the blog.

The Great Outdoors - Trekking through the Desert
On our recent trip to the American Southwest, we spent most of the time outdoors in the beautiful desert.

...and hopefully much more.

Thank you for your patience and stay tuned!

Small Hiatus

2011-04-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

We are leaving for a little vacation. Therefore, I am going to take a little break from the blog-o-sphere.

But don't worry, I'll be back soon with enlightening new posts!

Have a good week.

ROTW and ArThursday Poll & Caravaggio

2011-04-21T09:52:00.000-04:00

I have been doing the Recipe of the Week and ArThursday for about 6 weeks. I wanted to see if everyone is still interested in them existing.

So if you feel one way or the other leave a comment with your opinion. Write which one you like (it can be both), you can even write why if you would like. Just let me know. - Thanks Anne

Caravaggio

This week I decided to go with someone old school. In fact so old school he is considered one of the "Old Masters". I learned about Caravaggio in High School when we studied the Baroque period in Mr. Justice's class. I was always really interested by Caravaggio and his intriguing use of shadows. So here is some classic painting for the traditionalists.

Judith Beheading Holofernes 1598–1599. Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome.

The Calling of Saint Matthew 1599–1600. Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.

Martyrdom of Saint Matthew 1599–1600. San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter 1601. Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.

The Taking of Christ, 1602. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.

Conversion of Saint Paul, 1601. Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.

David with the Head of Goliath, 1609–1610. Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Snobby Joes

2011-04-19T12:03:00.001-04:00

We had a group of friends coming over for dinner last night and I was trying to think of something easy to make for a large group. Snobby Joes was definitely it. This recipe is from Veganomicon, a very valuable book to the vegan crowd. I change just a few things to make this recipe even more healthy than it already is. The "meat" of it is lentils, but it would be easy to substitute grass-fed ground beef. Though I would suggest you try it with the lentils as it is super tasty! Unfortunately I wasn't able to take any pictures of these, but I did steal one.

Image courtesty Seitan Is My Motor

Snobby Joes

Prep Time 10 Min : Cook Time 40 mins : Servings 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked lentils¹
4 cups water²
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
2-3 carrots, diced³
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4-6 buns⁴

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot or large saucepan over medium heat. In a covered microwave safe bowl, steam the carrots for about 2 minutes, no need to add additional water the carrots will have enough. Saute the onion and carrots in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more. Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Serve hot!

Courtesy of PPK(Post Punk Kitchen), a blog of one of the authors of Veganomicon.

Foodnotes:
1 We usually use red/orange lentils
2 I actually used a mix of water and whey, which I had left over from making cheese. Whey is awesome! FYI This makes the recipe not vegan.
3 The original recipe calls for green pepper, but I am not a fan of green pepper. And red, orange and yellow peppers are always incredibly expensive as well as hard to get local. Whereas carrots are cheap, filling and from our area!
4 We had delicious buns from Allegro Hearth in Squirrel Hill

The Great Outdoors - Biking, part 2

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is continued from last Friday's post.

Map Your Route

Not knowing where you're going sucks. Not knowing where you're going when you are biking, sucks more. After you've been biking around and are tired, or it's started to rain, the last thing you want is to be circling around an area. We are incredibly lucky to have multiple resources to map your route in Pittsburgh. First, BikePGH has a free physical map that you can get at many different locations around Pittsburgh, including all bike shops and the East End Food Coop. For a full list of where to pick one up, go here. They also offer a "high quality rip-proof, waterproof paper" map for $10 available for purchase on the same site. Second, they have an interactive online map which you can use to map out where you're going. The online map allows you to see trail access, bike shops, where there are dedicated bike lanes and crash reports. (Here is a great article about why you should report a crash and how to stay protected.) Finally, Google maps offers a "bike" option as one of their modes of transportation under "Get Directions".

Ride With Friends

The more people riding together, the more visible you are. Though this isn't feasible for all situations, you be surprised who else bikes places. Ask around at your job or school and see if others are interested in starting a bikepool. Using your bike to commute even once a week, can make a big difference. Here are more resources on how to start or join a bikepool. One of our favorite spring, summer and fall activities is going for a bike ride with friends. It is a great way to hang out and explore the city together. Also, because biking isn't always as cardio-intensive, you're able to carry on conversations easily with each other.

Ride Often

Like anything, the more you do it, usually the better you are. When I pull out my bike for the first time in a season, I need to re-learn and re-adjust to using a bike again. This biking season my goal is to ride my bike as much as possible. I want to act like I only have a car to use when a bike just won't work, because I would like to think that I could survive without a car. This season is my experiment in that, and it is going well so far. It doesn't help that we live at the top of a hill, but then again it's Pittsburgh which is all hills. Also, it isn't nearly the biggest hill around.

Some Things That Don't Fit Into Categories

Always, I repeat ALWAYS wear a helmet. I see some of my friends riding around and other strangers without helmets, and it makes me really sad. I don't care how stupid you think it looks or how hardcore you think you are, it isn't and you aren't. I was hit by a car once on my bike and I thanked God that I was wearing a helmet, my injury could have been a lot worse without it. Helmets come in so many different styles, pick one you like and wear it every time.
Get a lock! Preferably a U-Lock, but at least a nice chain lock. You don't want to spend months fixing up a junker at Free Ride just to have it stolen. Also, if you only have a U-lock, lock your front tire AND frame to a secure apparatus. You don't want this happening:

If you are going to ride at night you need a bike light. You MUST have a back red light that blinks, and ideally you should get a front, white light that has a solid and blinking setting. Our house really like Planet Bike, in general, but especially for their front, white bike lights.

I hope this has been helpful and encourages you to ride in the city, or to just ride in general. I find bike riding very rewarding. Often times I get nervous or whinny before I start a ride, but once I get out there I am happy that I made the right choice and I have a great time. What good times have you had on your bike? What's your favorite ride through Pittsburgh?

The Great Outdoors - Biking, part 1

2011-04-15T06:00:00.069-04:00

It's that time of the year again, when you go dust off the bike you've been neglecting all winter and go for a ride. I personally would love to be one of those hardcore bikers that rides all through the frigid, ice-filled winter, but I'm not. I try to tell myself one day I will be, but we'll see. Now that the weather is nice though, I take every opportunity to ride my bike. It is great for so many reasons, environmentally better, more healthy, and it builds character. When I first started riding in the city, back in college, I was very apprehensive. It was scary, there were cars and pedestrians, and I wasn't all that comfortable on a bike. But after some practice, I became versed in city riding and now feel like I am one of the cars. Don't be discouraged not to ride your bike; there are plenty of things you can do to make yourself more comfortable and, more importantly, more safe.

Like Your Bike

When I first started riding a bike again I was on a little mountain bike. I wasn't really comfortable on it, and therefore my riding experience wasn't that fun. Then I went to Free Ride and was lucky enough to find a great small road bike. It was an old Schwinn and I loved it. It made riding so much more enjoyable. Part of that was because it was made more for city riding, but more of it was that I felt comfortable. Last year I graduated to buying a new bike. It took a lot of debate, but I decided it was well worth the money. And it has been. When I was looking for a new bike, one of the guys I talked to asked if I was looking for a road bike, a cruiser, a hybrid, or a mountain bike. I said that I was going to be doing mostly city riding, so I guess a road bike. He asked if I was going doing a lot of long distance road riding? No. Then you don't have to have a road bike. Really? This changed my world. I like my hybrid because I feel like I have more control over the bike than I did, even with my beloved Schwinn.

My new commuter

And that is the key, the more comfortable you feel, the more confident you'll be. Confidence is what you need when you are riding in the city. So try some different bikes out, see what makes you feel comfortable. Talk to the people who your buying from. They should be able to help you with what you need and what type of bike will work best for you. If you want to brush up on different bike styles before heading to the store REI has a great bike page.

Have A Local Bike Shop

We are blessed in Pittsburgh to have multiple great bike shops to choose from. A local shop where you get to know the people is the best asset to have. You are able to stop in if you have a question, they can show you how to fix things on your own, and they can help when the job is too big for you (though I have been told that no job should be too big).

Thick Bikes

62 South 15th Street, Pittsburgh PA; (412) 390-3590
Located in Southside, this where I bought my new bike. The guys in here are really easy to talk to. They sell some used bikes as well as new bikes and various accessories.

Iron City Bikes

331 S Bouquet St, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 681-1310
Located in South Oakland, and is probably Ben's favorite bike shop. They are a smaller store but can do orders if they don't have it in the shop. They sell new bikes and accessories. And have a local racing team.

Love Bikes

212 1/2 44th St, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 235-7026
Pittsburgh newest shop located in Lawrenceville. They are mostly a repair shop right now, but plan to start selling complete and refurbished bikes soon. Unfortunately, I have not been here yet to have a personal opinion of them.

Ted’s Excellent Bike Repair

2110 E Carson St, Pittsburgh PA; (412) 224-2324)
Also located on Southside, it is suppose to be a pretty great repair shop. I haven't needed a repair shop yet, but have heard great things from many friends who've used them.

Kraynick’s Bike Shop

5003 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 621-6160)
In Garfield, Kraynick's is the Yinzer of shops. Not the shop to go if you have an overwhelmingly expensive bike, but definitely the place to be if you need to be economical. Also if you want to work on your bike for free and be able to get some knowledgeable advice, come here. Many people can only sing the praises of how awesome this shop is.

Free Ride

214 N. Lexington Ave, Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 731-4094
Another great place to work on your bike for free. Free Ride does a great job of teaching you how to build and take care of a bike. They call themselves a "bicycle educational facility". You can literally start with a frame and build your bike, for free. I highly suggest you check out their website to see all that they have to offer. They also sometimes have finished recycled bikes for sale, which is how I got my Schwinn, but this is rare.

BikeTek

5842 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA; (412) 521-6448
Located in Squirrel Hill, these guys were pretty nice. I ended up getting my rack from them. They sell mostly new bikes and accessories, but they also do repairs.

There is REI(Southside) and Pro Bikes(Squirrel Hill). As per my experience, I am not a huge fan of either of them, especially Pro Bikes. But I love REI, so if I need an accessory I would go here, but I don't use their shop. If you aren't in Pittsburgh, do a google search or talk to friends who bike. If Pittsburgh has this many choices, chances are you city should have at least one.

Here is BikePGH's list of resources in and around Pittsburgh.

Check out Part 2 coming on Monday with the topics "Map Your Route", "Ride With Friends" and "Ride Often".

Slinkachu

2011-04-14T21:35:00.000-04:00

Fantastic Voyage

Slinkachu is a street installation artist and photographer based in London. His work is fun and I get enjoyment out of it. But as he describes there is also a more serious side to it:

My 'Little People Project' started in 2006. It involves the remodelling and painting of miniature model train set characters, which I then place and leave on the street. It is both a street art installation project and a photography project. The street-based side of my work plays with the notion of surprise and I aim to encourage city-dwellers to be more aware of their surroundings. The scenes I set up, more evident through the photography, and the titles I give these scenes aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed. But underneath this, there is always some humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the tiny people in my works.

Susan

I definitely see more humor in them.

Jesus Saves

I Can't Actually Graffiti

Chicken Tikka Disasta

Company Car

Majestic

Relic

Boys Own Adventures

Close Shave

Last Resort

If you enjoyed these I recommend you visit his website or search him on Google images. He has many more great ones online.

Albondigas

2011-04-12T06:00:00.041-04:00

Albondigas is the Spanish word for meatball. When I think of Albondigas, I think of the Mexican dish. The Mexican version consist of meatballs in a tomato broth soup. I found a few different recipes that I combined and then tweaked, there are still some changes that I would make in the future though. I noted these changes, if you would also prefer it to be a bit different in places. I hope you enjoy this delicious dish, after tonight it has become one of our new favorites.

Doesn't look as good as it tastes, unfortunately

Albondigas

For the "meatballs"¹:
1 cup TVP flakes²
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup brown rice
1 egg
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
olive oil

1. Cook rice. While rice is cooking heat vegetable broth to just below boiling. Place TVP flakes into vegetable broth and cover. Set aside.
2. In a large pan, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until browned.
3. Place cooked rice, onion/garlic mixture, rehydrated TVP, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and spices in a medium bowl. Mix together. If it looks like it needs some more breadcrumbs, add up to another 1/4 cup. Beat egg and add to mixture. Mix until well combined.
4. Stick your hands in and start making meatballs. Place on a plate until all of the mixture is formed. Should make about 15 meatballs.

5. Heat olive oil in the same pan you sauted the garlic and onions. Carefully place meatballs into the oil once it is heated up. You want to let them get really brown before you flip them for the first time. This way they will stay together better. Flip them around, browning on all sides to your liking. We like ours dark as you can see. If they crumble a bit that will be okay too, don't worry about it too much.
6. Once they are done to your liking, remove them from the pan and set aside.

For the sauce³:

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 5.5 oz can V8
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper⁴
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup frozen peas (or fresh peas)
freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Take the same frying pan you used to make the meatballs, add olive oil if necessary and heat. Cook the onion until it is soft, then add garlic and some pepper.
2. Once the onion is looking translucent, add in the vegetable broth and turn the heat up to high. Let it boil for about a minute.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, ketchup, and V8. Wait for it to boil again, then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add peas and stir in cayenne. Let simmer for a few minutes.
5. Add meatballs and spoon sauce over the meatballs to make sure they are covered. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Serve HOT, preferably with some nice bread. We had Veg Bread,⁵, which worked really well.

Foodnotes:
1 This was a new veggie meatball recipe for me, and while the taste was nice, they were a little finicky on the frying pan. I had to be really delicate with them, so they wouldn't fall apart. I think next time I might try the beanball recipe from Veganomicon, one of my favorite veg cookbooks. But at least these ones tasted great.
2 TVP(textured vegetable protein) comes in many forms, we use the chunks and flakes. We always have both of them in the house because they can be used for so many different things and are dehydrated so they keep probably forever. I don't completely understand the process but it is a by-product of making soybean oil. If you are interested you can find out more here. TVP is available at the co-op in bulk and I have even seen it in some Giant Eagle's if you are in Pittsburgh.
3 When I think of Albondigas, I think of a soup. This turned out being more of a meatball with sauce dish. When I make this again I will probably put in a can of tomato sauce and at least another 2 cups of broth. You can find your own proportions depending on what you are feeling like, a brothy soup or a hearty sauce.
4 As I've mentioned before, we like the spicy in our house. If you don't, feel free to adjust the cayenne to whatever you feel like. However, this wasn't incredibly spicy, at all. If you decide to make the changes mentioned in foodnote 3 to make the dish more soupy, remember to keep in mind the cayenne will be even more diluted.
5 I had this idea to make basically zucchini bread out of a bunch of vegetables and make a double batch consisting of a large loaf pan and 2 dozen muffins. The result was what the house called "veg bread". It isn't sweet zucchini bread, it has definite vegetable taste and is only mildly sweet. It is good, but is much like the difference between complete pancake mix and buckwheat pancakes. Either way, it went surprisingly well with the Albondigas, the mild sweetness was highlighted in just the right way to completely compliment one another. If anyone is interested in the recipe, let me know and I can forward it, just be warned.

Diary of A Slogger, issue 5

2011-04-08T06:00:00.012-04:00

...Or why you should change it up.

I usually do my slogs on a city trail. One that is paved with just a small section of crushed limestone. But I decided to run in Frick Park last week. For those not from Pittsburgh, Frick Park is a city forest-y park that has dirt and crushed limestone/rock trails. I chose to do this the day after Pittsburgh precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, mist all in one), good idea right? Most of the trails looked like this, but add an incline:

For those of you who don't know, I fall a lot. Correction, slip a lot. I have good balance, but if there is ice or slippery conditions, there is a good chance I will slip. But I wanted to take the challenge. I had decided to go to Frick because it isn't flat and it makes me feel like I am in a forest. Slogging in Frick, under these conditions, was like my own version of Mt. Marathon Race, which a fellow blogger just entered the lottery for. Okay, maybe not that intense, but certainly took more effort and thought than running the flat, paved trail my body is becoming use to.

It was also great interval training. The inclines would go until I almost couldn't take it and then they would top off. And when I was just getting too relaxed that I didn't feel like I was exercising anymore, another hill would start.

I am not sure how far I went, even when you think you know what trail you're on in Frick, you really have no idea. But I had fun and I worked. Muddy work.

How do you try to break your routine?

Listener

2011-04-07T06:00:00.069-04:00

I have a rather eclectic taste in music. Some times I am in the mood for honest to goodness country, I am talking Dixie Chicks, other times I want to listen to Boy Sets Fire. I will state that this artist is probably not for everyone.

When I first heard about Listener, I was told it was this guy speaking/singing while banging on a washing machine. I was confused. A few weeks ago half of Listener was playing an "acoustic" house show with some friends, it was promised that there wouldn't be any washing machine. A guy, Dan Smith, got up to do his set. He had a stage presence and personality that I immediately loved. There was something corky and honest about it. He only did his spoken word, no music and no singing. I enjoyed him immensely. As I sat squished in my pastors living room with maybe 25-30 other people, face to face with someone bearing their heart and mind, I couldn't help think that we are all artists. Maybe everyone doesn't like the art we create, maybe we hate it ourselves, but there is magic happening. There are nameless photographers sharing photos with friends, painters sketching trees in the park, and lyricists screaming words in a crowded room on a Sunday night.

Here are the lyrics as I find them impressive, but sometimes hard to know.

You Were A House On Fire

Building Better Bridges

Wooden Heart

Seatbelt Hands

Most Roads Lead To Home

Listener is Dan Smith and Christin Nelson. They are certainly artist in my opinion and if you want more check out their website.

Fermentation

2011-04-05T06:00:00.188-04:00

I don't know about you, but I love sauerkraut. I can eat it just by itself.

I was lucky enough to attend the Farm to Table Conference here in Pittsburgh. It is an awesome little conference where local farms and health conscious businesses come to share about their products. There were also speakers, demonstrations and kids activities. One company that was there was Zukay Live Foods. They are a PA company that specializes in non-dairy probiotic foods. They have juices, salsa, salad dressings and relishes, all of which are made with fermented vegetables.

Why Fermented Vegetables Are Important

Don't say anything about her, she is AWESOME!

Fermented foods are full of bacteria. Unfortunately in modern society, bacteria are equated with germs and germs are bad, so they are avoided like the plague(which is also a bacteria). However, not all bacteria are bad, our bodies are filled with good bacteria, or at least they should be. These good bacteria are all throughout our digestive systems making sure that our food is being digested properly so that we can get everything we need out of it. In most people now these good bacteria are far to low and can lead to digestive problems. This is why Jamie Lee Curtis is telling you to eat Activia, yogurt has the same delicious cultures that your digestive system needs.
These good bacteria can also be killed in our body by taking things like anti-biotics. Do I think you should not take these if your doctor prescribes them? No, but maybe up your fermented foods or yogurt intake afterwards to get all the good germs back.

Why it is important to eat RAW Fermented Foods

When you buy sauerkraut in the store it has been canned. This means that it has been cooked. When it's cooked all of the good bacteria has been fried alive! It no longer has the added help of the bacteria, it's just some tasty cabbage. When you ferment raw vegetables, you are keeping those bacteria alive and allowing them to prosper by breaking down the vegetables.

We were lucky enough to see a demonstration by Scott Grzybek of Zukay, who made two fermented recipes in front of us. They were so easy that I decided to share them with you this week. It's a TWO-FER!

Sauerkraut AKA deliciousness in a bottle

Tools
Knife
Ball or other type of jar
Bowl
Masher

Ingredients
Celtic Sea Salt (please read note)
Cabbage
Spring Water (please read note)
Fennel/Caraway seeds, optional

1. Do not wash your cabbage! You want all of that added goodness on there, this is why I bought organic as to ensure it was all good stuff and not chemicals. Remove the large outer leaves that are almost falling off³.Slice the cabbage as thin as you would like your sauerkraut.
2. Throw the sliced cabbage into the bowl and add salt. Scott said to add a few teaspoons, but looked like he was adding a few Tablespoons. He was my kind of guy with the non-measurement thing, but I added about two teaspoons to mine and it was doing fine.
3. If you have the time let the sauerkraut sit in the salt.

See the water pooling on the bottom

The salt will draw all the water out and make the sauerkraut cry. I had to go somewhere so I left mine for about an hour and a half, but 15-20 minutes would be sufficient. If you don't have the time to wait then you can force the process to move more quickly. You want to start "mashing" or beating down the cabbage. This will break it down more quickly. The purpose is to get as much water out as you can, because this water is going to ideally cover the cabbage once it is placed in the jar. If you don't have a lot of water, that's where the spring water will come in. Just work on the cabbage as long as you feel like it. You also want to add the fennel or caraway seeds in at this time if you are using them.
4. Once the cabbage is looking significantly beat. You can start stuffing it into your jar. Having a jar with a wide mouth really helps at this point. You want to squish out as much air as possible, so a small head of cabbage might not even fill your jar depending on what size it is. Just keep compacting and pushing the cabbage down, leaving no spaces or gaps. I also used a small ladle at this point because by hand couldn't reach the cabbage until it was much higher. The ladle really helped push it down.
5. When you feel confident that the cabbage can't possibly get anymore compact, look at the liquid level. If all of your cabbage isn't covered, this is where you need to add the spring water. Add enough to cover the cabbage, anything left out in the air is going to become moldy. Don't fill the jar all the way to the top with water, or cabbage, as it will expand when it ferments. Leave it some space.
6. Screw the lid on the top, but NOT too tight. As Scott explained, the pressure will build up while all the gases are being released and the bacteria are working. You want the weakest point in that jar to be the seal between the jar top and the lid, rather than the side of the jar. This is also why it is a good idea to place your jar into a casserole dish. This way if it leaks, which can happen, you won't have nasty, smelly juice all over your shelf or counter.
7. Place your jar in a place where it won't bug you for the next month. Ideally this place should be warm and out of direct sunlight. We put ours on top of a kitchen cabinet that doesn't get sun.
8. Wait a month. I know it is a really long cooking time. Scott said that at the bare minimum you should wait 3 weeks. But I want to make sure it is good, so I am waiting a month or more if I can take it.
9. Open and eat. You can refrigerate it after you open it, this will just slow down the bacteria. You can also freeze, though it might change the taste. Since it is fermented, it doesn't really have an expiration date, but hopefully it will be so tasty that you'll finish it quickly. Scott suggested putting it on the table with dinner and just adding some to whatever you are eating. If you can't tell I really like sauerkraut and love the excuse to have it every night.

Carrot Sticks

Tools
Knife
Ball or other type of jar

Ingredients
Celtic Sea Salt (please read note)
Carrots
Zukay Raw Veggie Medley Juice⁴
Spring Water (please read note)
1 clove garlic, optional⁵

1. Don't wash the carrots! You want all of that added goodness on there, this is why I bought organic as to ensure it was all good stuff and not chemicals. Cut the carrots into sticks or julienne them.
2. Put them in the jar, again rather snuggly. You want the jar nice and full of carrots.
3. There was some discussion as to whether or not the carrots needed salt, but I threw some in there because it wouldn't hurt. I put about a teaspoon. If you are adding garlic, slice the clove thinly and add it to the jar.
4.Add enough Zukay Juice to fill about 1/4 of the jar. Then fill the rest of the jar with spring water. Again, anything left out in the air is going to become moldy. Don't fill the jar all the way to the top with water, or carrots, as it will expand when it ferments. Leave it some space.
5. Screw the lid on the top, but NOT too tight. As Scott explained, the pressure will build up while all the gases are being released and the bacteria are working. You want the weakest point in that jar to be the seal between the jar top and the lid, rather than the side of the jar. This is also why it is a good idea to place your jar into a casserole dish. This way if it leaks, which can happen, you won't have nasty, smelly juice all over your shelf or counter.
6. Place your jar in a place where it won't bug you for the next month. Ideally this place should be warm and out of direct sunlight. We put ours on top of a kitchen cabinet that doesn't get sun.
7. Wait a month. I know it is a really long cooking time. Scott said that at the bare minimum you should wait 3 weeks. But I want to make sure it is good, so I am waiting a month or more if I can take it.
8. Open and eat. You can refrigerate it after you open it, this will just slow down the bacteria. You can also freeze, though it might change the taste. Since it is fermented, it doesn't really have an expiration date, but hopefully it will be so tasty that you'll finish it quickly. Scott said kids love these, because you can just pick them up and pop them in your mouth.

Foodnotes

1 You don't want to use table salt, this has been bleached and has had many of it's great minerals taken out of it. Scott suggested Celtic Sea Salt, Redmond's Real Salt or Himalayan Salt. All of which are available at the co-op. I personally used the celtic, oh man does it smell like the sea!
2 Don't use tap water to try to save money. The chlorine that most cities put into their water will kill the bacteria. I used regular Giant Eagle spring water, Scott says that they have well water where he lives and that works just fine.
3 All the vegetable remains in our house go into the broth pile. I don't get special veggies just to make broth, I just through everything in to a pot with peppercorn and a bit of salt and let it simmer.
4 Cabbage naturally has enough bacteria in it to ferment itself, other veggies need help. You have to add a culture to it, like Yogourmet Kefir Culture or something that already has cultures in it, like Zukays juices. I found getting the juice easier than having to deal with a powder. The juice is available at the co-op. The veggie medley is recommended as its flavor will work well with the carrots.
5 Our household has a saying, well it has a lot but this is one of them, "you can never have too much garlic". Apparently when it comes to fermenting you can. Be very careful with how much you add, garlic can add very strong (the bad kind of strong) flavor and smell to your fermented foods. Scott suggested never to add more that 1 or 2 cloves to a jar.

Please share if you have made your own sauerkraut, or other fermented foods, before or if you make this recipe. I would like to see how it has turned out for others.

Diary of a Slogger, issue 4

2011-04-01T06:00:00.033-04:00

...Or why you should run with friends, at least some of the time.

I had the joy this past weekend to run with two of my fellow blogger friends, Heya Sparky AKA Lauren and Primus Libellus Digitus AKA Jen. All of us are at different levels, and have different goals, but I had a good time running with company. Why?

No iPod

This is kind of a lie because Lauren did have one on. But in general, it gives you a time to unplug. Though I believe playlists can help get you pumped and motivated to run better, you also miss what's going on around you. Sometimes it is nice just to hear the sounds of the world.

Push You

When you run with others, you often go farther than if you were by yourself. On this particular run we had the purpose of helping Lauren train for the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay. Lauren said okay "let's go to this street" and then as we got closer Jen said "let's push it out to that street". Friends also help you pace, you begin to run all the same speed or speed up when you start falling behind.

Talking

It gives you a time to talk to friends, sort of. It usually leads to very breathless conversations that have too many awkward pauses, but it's conversation nonetheless. Also, if you are able to hold a conversation, you are said to be running at a good pace.

Fun

Period. I do laugh to myself when I am running alone, but when you are running with people laughing together, you look more legit. (Or more like a fitness commercial) You joke around more, get excited about Redhead Ducks

Or something, Jen will correct me

or silly running

Overall it just makes running more pleasurable. It isn't an all the time thing, but a sometimes slog.

Do you enjoy exercising (slogging, weightlifting, biking) with others? Who do you go with?

Chuck Close

2011-03-31T06:00:00.002-04:00

For process and scale

I started to get into pointillism in High School and found this amazing artist Chuck Close, who is what I would call a modern pointillist, though most call him a photorealist. I personally was amazed and stunned by his work. Close achieves his work through a grid. He takes a photo, almost entirely large portraits, then puts a grid on that photo. He also draws a grid on his canvas and copies it cell by cell. In 1988 he suffered a spinal artery collapse which left him paralyzed from the neck down. He spent months in physical therapy, but still relies on a wheelchair. He has continued to paint by strapping a brush to his wrist and through the help of an assistant to create the grid.

I hope you enjoy him as much as I do.

Phil, Fingerprint 1978

Pastel and watercolor on washed paper mounted on paper 1978

John, 100 color silkscreen 1997

Lucas, Oil and graphite on canvas 1986-87

Emma, woodcut 2002

Bill Clinton, Oil on canvas 2006

Almond Milk Cop Out

2011-03-29T06:05:00.001-04:00

Things have been slightly hectic here and I haven't had a chance to do a bigger and better recipe for this week. Also, there have been many requests for this almond milk recipe and I so love sharing it with people.

Almond milk is one of the best alternative milks because of its increased protein and great healthy fats. It is also naturally more creamy than other options like rice and soy milk. Though soy milk gets a unfair bad wrap, if you are looking to avoid it, almond milk is the best choice. I found this recipe on Vegan Reader. We have tried many almond milk and rice milk recipes and this is definitely our favorite.

She has awesome, easy to follow instructions. And there is even an added dessert recipe to help use the "waste". Please enjoy and thank you for accepting my laid back Recipe of the Week.

Almond Milk Recipe from Vegan Reader

Note: If you would like your milk a little bit sweeter, as some store bought almond milks are, add about 2 Tablespoons of PURE maple syrup to the blender.

CSA

2011-03-25T19:16:00.001-04:00

...And why you should have one this season!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. What does that mean? Well, the way a CSA works is through investment. A consumer buys a share with a farm. The consumer pays upfront a certain amount and ensures the farmer that a specific amount of their crop is going to be purchased. The farmer can then rely on the intended consumption. They can use the money to buy seeds and pay for other upfront costs, rather than having to wait until they can sell their crops after harvest. This also gives them cash flow throughout the year, rather than receiving most of their income during just one season. The consumer then picks up their share, usually on a weekly basis, of the crop from the farm. This lasts for the entire season, usually 20-25 weeks.

Farms usually have different types of shares. Most common are half, full and advanced. The share is the amount of food you will be receiving. It can also indicate which type of food you are receiving as some farms will have a dairy share, which would include milk or cheese every week.

Cost

Though the cost upfront seems like a significant amount of money, it actually works out to be cheaper than buying produce from the grocery store. Most CSAs are between $23-26 per week, much less than if you were to buy the same products individually.

Drop-Off/Pick-Up

If you live by, or are willing to drive to the farm, you can always pick up your share from the farm. However, for those who can't, there are various city drop-offs depending on the CSA. You should factor this into which CSA you choose, you don't want one that drops off on the same night you have Chess Boxing practice.

Farm Tour Day

Almost all farms have what they call Farm Tour Days. This is a time when the CSA members are invited to the farm they have been supporting. It is a great way to get to know the farmers and see the farm. Sometimes you even learn something, on the farm tour last summer I learned that asparagus was grown one stalk at a time. It helps you see the producers of your food as real people. It helps you see the world of food production with your own eyes.

Local

This one is obvious, but you are supporting a local company. CSAs are just as good as going to your local farmer's markets to get food, most of the CSA farms even sell at farmer's markets.

Family Farms/Co-ops

All of the farms are either small family farms or farm co-ops. Pennsylvania in particular has a significant number of small family farms that are dying every year from competition. When harvests go well, things can be easy, however for a small family farm or co-op a bad crop can mean big problems. By participating in a CSA, if the harvest goes badly or doesn't have maximum production, you are ensuring that the farm doesn't go out of business and can continue. You are helping to give them "Rainy Day"(bad analogy since rain is good in the farming world) money to bring them through the bad harvests or unforeseen problems.

Decisions

When I pick up my CSA for the week, all of my decisions are made for me. I don't have to go through the produce aisle and think of what to make. Instead, I am given the fruits and vegetables that I will be using that week. This is a huge plus for me, as decision-making usually leads to frustration in my household.

This past season we had a full share from Harvest Valley Farms. Every Thursday we would go to pick up our share. A sample weeks share would be: 1/2 dozen ears of corn, pint of pickling cucumbers, head of cauliflower, three zucchinis, a bag of green beans, 4 apples and a head of lettuce. Harvest Valley sends out a weekly e-mail letting you know what is in the share and includes a recipe using one or more of the items. I absolutely loved it and we plan to continue getting CSAs every season.

If you have a CSA or decided to get one, which farm are you using and why?

If you are interested in getting a CSA this season, which you should be, Local Harvest is a great website to find one near you. Local Harvest also has information on farmer's markets and other food related things.

Natasha Wescoat

2011-03-24T02:03:00.001-04:00

Natasha Wescoat is a Michigan-based artist that I fell in love with a few years ago. I don't remember exactly how I stumbled upon her website, but I instantly enjoyed her landscaped trees and floating birds. Since then her art has moved onto other characters, but I think I still enjoy her early stuff the most. Her art is clearly whimsical with its ability, at least for me, to move you to a lighter and more carefree mood. I like how this contrasts her usual use of dark colors. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.

You can visit her blog. Or just browse through more of the artwork on her website.

Mac & Cheez

2011-03-22T02:00:00.003-04:00

I really have started disliking the "clever" ways people play on words for vegetarian and vegan things. This recipe is more like Mac and Veg Sauce, but that just isn't appetizing. So I used the Cheez alternative, which really just makes me think of Cheez Whiz...Eww.

This is one of our favorite vegan dishes. It's nice and heavy, like normal Mac & Cheese, but is full of vegetable deliciousness.

This isn't a recipe that would fool someone, you can definitely tell there is something up with the sauce. (If you are interested in a good homemade vegan "cheese" sauce, this is one of my favorites. Just make sure you add extra lemon juice as it will add some nice cheesy tanginess.) The recipe below is a modification of this original recipe for 'No-Nooch, No-Tofu, Excellent Mac 'n' Cheese'. Nooch is another name for Nutritional Yeast Flakes. In my opinion of the biggest arguments against veganism is the issue of Vitamin B12. B12 is a vitamin that is important to the nervous system, and a severe deficiency can result in some pretty serious health problems including anemia and nervous system damage. Vitamin B12 is not available in any "natural" plant food form. The only way for vegans to get it is through supplements or fortified foods. Nutritional Yeast Flakes are one such fortified food. Nutritional Yeast is not like baking or brewer's yeast, but is often used to make cheese-like substitutes because of its nutty flavor. One of the changes I make to the original recipe is including "Nooch" as I like its flavor and texture.

Mac & Cheez

Prep Time 10 Min : Cook Time 15 mins : Servings 6

Special Equipment Needed
Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients
8 oz Macaroni¹
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes²
4-5 Medium Carrots
1 Medium Onion
1 Tablespoon minced Garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Vegan Margarine³
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Red Hot Pepper Flakes, optional

Prepping the Veggies

1. Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow them to soak whilst you are doing other things.
2. Chop the sweet potatoes, carrots and onions.
3. Put the sweet potatoes, carrots and onions in a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil over high heat.
4. Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat and allow to boil on medium heat until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Carefully drain the veggies, saving the liquid in a bowl.
6. Reserve 1/2 cup of the broth and place the rest back in the pot and bring to a boil. This is the liquid you will boil the pasta in, add additional water if necessary. When the broth water is boiling, cook the pasta accordingly.

my new food processor (see notes)

Food Processor: The Mother of All Small Appliances

7. As the pasta is cooking, drain the cashews and place them in the food processor.
8. Add the 1/2 cup reserved broth, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and margarine to the cashews. Process until smooth.
9. Add the veggies to the mix and process until smooth. The consistency should be like a thick sauce.
10. Taste the sauce and adjust the spices as needed, this is when you should add some salt and pepper.

Make It Spicy

Once your sauce is where you want it, assemble. Place some pasta in the bowl, followed by a healthy portion of sauce. Unlike other Mac & Cheese recipes where it's a 3/4 noodles to 1/4 sauce proportion, this dish is best when it is at least half and half. So be generous with the sauce. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes, or even your favorite hot sauce on top, and enjoy the veg!

Notes:
1 The East End Food Co-op has a great macaroni in their bulk section that is made from quinoa flour. It's awesome and has a bunch of added protein. If you don't know what quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wAH) is, it's a grain that is the only non-animal complete protein and super tasty.
2 There is always a debate over the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, but as I don't feel like getting into that here. I mean the root vegetable with the dark red/maroon-ish skin and the orange flesh.
3 I use Earth Balance when I want a vegan margarine. It is the tastiest to us, but anything would work.
4 Food processors are awesome. My old one broke a bit ago and I did a ton of research about this new one. It is agreed upon by almost all of the reviewers, consumer and professional, that this is basically the best food processor out there right now. It is the Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus DLC-2011. This was its inaugural ceremony and it preformed beautifully!

Diary of A Slogger, issue 3

2011-03-21T02:00:00.002-04:00

...Or why you should shop at Elite Walkers and Runners.

This past Thursday was just one of those runs. I don't know if I had eaten poorly on Wednesday, or if the warm weather threw me for a loop (though I would never complain of the blessed sunshine of wonderfulness), but I wasn't having fun. I kept repeating the Jillian Michael's mantras, "Pain is fear leaving the body" and "When it starts getting uncomfortable, those are the ones that really count", and "We don't get to the finish line and stop, that's when we push even harder".

I focused all of the pain I was feeling on the fact that I needed new shoes. I am a very conscious shopper. I often do a lot of research on the products I buy, especially big purchases. I also hate consumerism in general and get very anxious when buying anything. I will have arguments with myself in the store: "Do I really need this?", "Is this going to help my life?", "Is this clubbing baby seals to make my life easier?", etc. Needless to say, I don't like buying new stuff, especially when they are things just for me. So I wasn't too excited about the idea of buying new running shoes. I mean they looked fine. There weren't any hole; the soles didn't seem terribly worn. But my knees, and even lower back, were beginning to hurt. After being horribly frustrated by a painful run, I decided it was time to finally get new shoes.

My Spiffy New Shoes

It is a rule of thumb to replace your running shoes between 350-550 miles of use. For me that is about 4-6 months, at my current running pace. That seems like an awful lot of shoes. However, I keep telling myself that it is an investment into my future. By using running shoes I am making a happier, healthier me, as corn-tastic as it is. I am preventing diseases such as diabetes, which would cost myself and my insurance significantly more than $150 a year. Also, when it comes to exercising activities, running is one of the cheapest. The only equipment you really need is shoes.

Now that you are convinced you need new running shoes, you should go to Elite Walkers and Runners. Elite is a great local shop. The staff are incredibly friendly and there to help you with whatever you need. Though they are all skilled in delivering you the perfect pair of shoes, they don't flaunt their abilities to make you feel bad. I know nothing about running and probably asked some pretty stupid questions, but Erin, the lady helping me, didn't make me feel as dumb as I sounded. She answered my questions kindly and made me feel comfortable. They are able to look at your old shoes and suggest what new ones might work. They also watch you run to see if the shoes are working properly. One of the pairs I tried on was making me push-off my big toe, which apparently is bad.

They also have an interest in the community. From their mission statement:

Our mission is to be the central hub for the Pittsburgh running community and to spread the passion that the staff has to get people out and moving. We have moved forward with this mission through our involvement in the development and sponsorship of races around the Pittsburgh Region; educating the community through wellness clinics, health fairs, good form running classes, and corporate nights. We have also encouraged our youth to get involved in Track and Cross Country through education about running, injury prevention, and through team nights held at the store.

This is exactly what I want in every business I use. This inspires me to want to support them. They even have a Soles 4 Souls donation box for your old shoes.

And that is why I have been shopping rather exclusively at Elite Walkers and Runners for all of my slogging needs.

It was somewhat serendipitous that the right shoes for me happen to be New Balance. I apparently really like their shoes as I have bought about 3 pairs in various styles from Goodwill over the years. Also, they are a pretty cool company, not amazing, but cool. Here is what they call 'Responsible Leadership'

The East End Food Co-op

2011-03-18T02:00:00.001-04:00

...Or why you should shop at your local food co-op.

In case you don't know what a co-op is, aside from a magical, wonderful land of rainbows, it is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit. The East End Food Co-op is a grocery store in Pittsburgh that sells food, cosmetics, vitamins, toiletries and cleaning supplies that are "natural and organic".Therefore everything in the store has been carefully purchased and thought about. Co-ops are the best place to do all your regular shopping, especially in the winter months when you can't rely on farmer's markets and CSAs.

Local

While buying local is very trendy, this doesn't make it any less important.
By buying food that is produced in your area you are supporting your local economy while cutting down on shipping costs, both monetary and environmental.

Advantages: Freshness. Produce that is produced conventionally has to be picked well before it is ready to be eaten. If the bananas were perfectly ripe when they were harvested, they would be spoiled by the time they reached the shelf. On the other hand, local produce isn't going far, often things can be picked that day or the day before.

Relationship. The co-op is like your local grocery store. When I go in there, I recognize the various workers, and I feel like some of them recognize me. The people are always helpful and ready to suggest how to use this random hippie product you have never heard of. They aren't answering to a larger corporation that has the region or nation to look at, they are answering to me, a member of their local customer base. It feels like my grocery store.

Bulk

Like most co-ops, EEFC has a bulk foods section. Their bulk foods range from oats and pasta to cookies to herbs and spices. Bulk foods are stored in large containers and priced by the pound.

Advantages: Less packaging. You are able to bring your own reusable containers and fill them. (note: they do also have bags and containers for you to use if you don't have any)

Quantity Control. You are able to buy as little or as much as you need. Not sure if you are going to like the Hemp Plus Granola, only get a little bit. Or better yet ask one of the friendly Co-op employees and you can test it out.

Price. The prices are usually significantly discounted. We buy our maple syrup in bulk because it is literally almost half the price of the bottles on the shelf.

Membership

This should actually be called Ownership. Co-ops are also businesses owned and controlled equally by the people who use its services and by the people who work there. It currently cost $100 to become a member at the East End Food Co-op, because that is the current cost of a share. By purchasing a share, you are becoming part owner of the co-op. It is a one time cost, like any other share purchase in a company. You can also sell it back at any time, for instance if you are moving away.

Advantages: Discounts. 2% on daily purchases, 20% on uncut case purchases. Also, once a month they have Member Extra Discount Days (MEDD) where members receive 10% off.

Board of Directors. Members are able to vote and run for elected positions. This gives a member even more power in what is going on with the co-op.

The East End Food Co-op is located in Point Breeze at 7516 Meade Street, 15208. If you don't live in Pittsburgh, the National Cooperative Grocers Association has an interactive map to find a co-op near you.

Celtic Knots

2011-03-17T02:00:00.001-04:00

I thought in honor of St. Patrick's Day I would feature some art from Ireland to help show that it can be known for more than just drinking. I have enjoyed the intricacies of Celtic knots for quite a while. I also like the many ways they can be interpreted or used as various symbols. One of the many reasons I knew that my husband was the person I should marry was because of the engagement ring he found for me. It was a simple ring with 3 small diamonds and a beautiful Celtic knot pattern. I posted a few of my favorites below.

Eggs Pomodoro

2011-03-15T02:00:00.001-04:00

...Or 10 steps to the culinary mastery of poaching an egg.

I had never poached an egg before, at least not in water. I use to call eggs that I microwaved a certain way poached, but after poaching eggs and eating them, those were definitely just microwaved eggs. So I decided it was time to change this and level up in my culinary skills. I am not sure how many of you have watched Julie & Julia, a movie I was very surprised that I highly enjoyed, but there is a scene where one of the main characters attempts to poach eggs. I had heard it was difficult to poach eggs and this scene reinforced that fear. From an episode of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell, I learned that you need to add a bit of vinegar to the water. Julia Child from Julie & Julia says you need very fresh eggs. Finally, Whitney Miller, the winner of Masterchef US, used a technique on the show where you swirl the water before you drop the egg in to be poached. With all of these tips, I set to work poaching eggs for the first time.

I originally wanted to do an Eggs Benedict,
but decided that as delicious as hollandaise sauce is it is equally heart-stopping. Instead I chose to create my own recipe featuring a poached egg that was a bit healthier. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato, so this recipe is sliced sourdough toast, topped with a roasted tomato slice and a poached egg.

Eggs Pomodoro

Prep Time 10 min : Cook Time 20 min : Servings 3

Ingredients

1 large tomato
6 eggs¹
1 loaf of sourdough²
1 Tablespoon vinegar
olive oil
fresh course ground pepper
salt, to taste and 1/2 teaspoon
basil, fresh or dried

Roasting the Tomatoes

1. Slice the tomato into nice thick pieces, you want at least 6 slices.
2. Place the slices on a foil lined baking sheet.

Tip: I much prefer fresh herbs, but they aren't always available or practical. When you use dried herbs, remember to rub them in between your fingers before adding them to the recipe. You will smell their wonderful aroma, this shows that you are releasing the last bits of their oils locked inside and increasing their flavor.

Drizzle the olive oil over the tomato slices and sprinkle with pepper, salt and basil to your liking. Should be about one teaspoon each to the precision chefs.
3. Place the baking sheet in the broiler set to high. It will ultimately depend on your tomatoes and your broiler as to how long they will take to cook. You want them to have that great crinkled skin that tomatoes get from being in the oven. It should be about 10 minutes, but make sure you keep an eye on them.

Poaching the Eggs

4. Fill a small saucepan with 2-4 inches of water, bring to a rolling boil.
5. Reduce heat until the water is barely simmering, add vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Don't skip this step as the vinegar helps to keep the egg together!
6. Now into a small bowl crack one egg. While holding the bowl in one hand, probably the non-dominant one, swirl the water with a whisk or spoon in the other hand. You want the water to look like a little whirlpool for something small like mice. When the water is vigorously swirling, quickly remove your swirling apparatus and place the lip of the bowl as close to the surface of the water as possible. With one motion slide the egg into the center of the whirlpool. The motion of the swirling water holds the egg whites together and prevents you from having to try to push them close to the egg yolk. Unfortunately with this method you can only cook one egg at a time, but it is well worth it as the other method is a bit more finicky.³
7. Allow egg to simmer until egg whites are "set", about 3 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon⁴. Repeat until all eggs are poached.

Assembly of Deliciousness

8. Slice your sourdough loaf into decent pieces. If your loaf is wide, as mine was, cut the pieces in half. Toast to desired darkness.
9. Place a perfectly toasted slice of sourdough on your plate. Top with a supremely roasted slice of tomato. Then crown with a creamy poached egg. I love ground pepper so I put just another short grind on there to finish off the flavors.

10. Behold the dish you have created with beautiful technique! And, of course, dig into the scrumptious meal.

Notes:
1 I used local eggs from Nu Way Farm.
2 I had Allegro Hearth's Left Coast Sourdough, deliciously tangy!
3 This isn't as difficult as it sounds. Also, if you mess up and have something resembling egg drop soup, throw out the water and start again. Poaching eggs just takes a bit of practice, by the 3rd or 4th egg I was much more comfortable. The best thing to remember is don't be too tentative, be confident: simmer, swirl, drop.
4 I have a gas oven and the broiler is on the bottom. While the tomatoes were cooking the oven was warm, so I used it to keep the finished eggs warm.

The Climbing Wall, Inc.

2011-03-14T06:00:00.002-04:00

...or why your hands should be callused and your forearms beefy.

Before we left for China I had been going to the Climbing Wall on a weekly basis. I had built up some nice calluses and was starting to feel like I was actually excelling. Then we went to China for six weeks and all of the skills I had picked up vanished. I was willing to give it another go, knowing how much fun I had the last time around. I arrived at the Climbing Wall with some friends and set to work. For the next two hours, it was nothing more than pain and suffering. Everything I tried seemed to kick my butt, my hands hurt, and I just wasn't having a good time.

This past week I debated whether or not to try again. My usual climbing buddy was out-of-town and I could easily use that as an excuse to skip it.
But thankfully something in the back of my head said "You'll pay for it later". So I told myself to shut up and I texted a few other friends who had been going. I walked into the bouldering room telling myself I was there just to build up my calluses again. After a bit of a slow start, I picked up some confidence from completing a few routes. I decided it was time to conquer one route that I hadn't been able to do since before China. It would be just the boost I needed to kickstart myself back into climbing. So I started up, and got to the same point I always had but couldn't go any further. I jumped down defeated. I tried a few more times and decided today wasn't the day. I moved onto a few more routes and was mad that I hadn't been able to suck it up and finish.

Then a guy came in and started looking at the same wall I was. He brushed off some of the holds and I told him to go ahead as I was just looking, at my defeat. He proceeded to ascend a V5 (bouldering is rated on a "V" scale at the Climbing Wall, from VB for Beginner to V0 through V16), not with total ease, but enough to recognize that he was experienced, and impressive. My friend and I started to talk with him, receiving some pretty nice advice about general climbing. It made me realize that this was the day, no matter how much it hurt and how scared I was of falling. I stood at the bottom again, and said I was going to hit the top. I grabbed and reached and got to the same point and pushed myself to the next hold. I got to the top, and then navigated back down. I was scared and unsure on the wall, and my hands were burning, but, like any triumphant after many failures, I had a smile of sweet satisfaction on my face with my arms held high in a "V" for victory.

The pain of climbing

The Climbing Wall has been a great activity, especially in the dreary Pittsburgh winter. It has many different skill levels and routes that are constantly changing. Though I may have made it sound like I am hardcore with that story, I am still only at the VB/V0 level. They also have a top ropes course and classes. I really don't want to link their website because it is quite appalling, but with great reservations here it is, please don't judge it by its website quality, or lack there of.

If you are in the Pittsburgh area and interested in going to the Climbing Wall, we go every Wednesday, which is Ladies Day (half-off).

The Prosperity Problem

2011-03-11T01:00:00.001-05:00

...Or how meat is killing the Chinese.

I am not sure how many of you have heard of the book The China Study, it is a book about the rise of certain illnesses in China and their correlation to the rise in animal product consumption over the last 20 years. I personally have not read the book, though I have it on my requests at the library, but I have talked to some people in China about this issue.

While in Shenyang, I had the privileged to meet some medical students studying at the local university. One day when a group of us were out to lunch, one of the girls brought up this very topic. She explained how she saw a huge problem with how Chinese people are eating now. Before people were unable to afford meat and, therefore, it was not a huge part of their diet. And when meat was eaten, it was usually fish, pork or poultry. Now, however, because people are making more money and meat prices are cheaper, the general public is able to consume more meat, especially new meats like beef and mutton. My friend expressed that she didn't think this was a good thing. She felt that Chinese people were eating too much meat and were going to have more health problems than past generations.

This is exactly what The China Study explains. They link the increase in cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, to name a few, to the increase in animal product consumption. An article in Newsweek also points out with life expectancy on the rise, Chinese people are now living longer with these diseases.

If this sounds all too familiar, it should, China is starting to deal with the same things that Americans have been dealing with for the last 50 years.

I am sharing all this to help back up my feelings on meat consumption.

My Opinion:
I don't think it is wrong to consume meat. I can agree with people who argue the Christian Biblical perspective that God has given us animals to eat from Genesis 9:3.(Though I won't bring up that this was after the flood because that is another discussion for another time) But I also don't take lightly what was said in Proverbs 23:
²⁰ Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,
²¹ for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

I would love to return to a day when eating meat meant that it was a special meal. When Thanksgiving had real value because we celebrated the true blessings of being provided for, not just over-eating like every other day. If you didn't eat meat at every meal, how much more value would you place on the turkey or the pork roast?

Which of these has more value?

I would hope the chips have a lower value because of the time and effort spent on making the deliciously crafted meal on the right -- this coming from someone who use to have a rather substantial addiction to Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles.

I am no longer desirous to put specific dietary restrictions on my life, but rather to focus more on putting value on my food. Meat in China is losing it's value, just as it has been lost here. I wish that more people would understand the gravity of that, for our health, and for our culture.

If you are nerdy like me and like research, I found two really interesting research studies done on meat consumption in China: Determinants of Meat Consumption in China and Meat Consumption in the Home in China: An Empirical Study.

ArThursday - Artist Showcase, Launch!

2011-03-10T01:00:00.001-05:00

To feed my love for art in all forms, I have decided to add a weekly art day to my blog. Much like the "Recipe of the Week" these are going to be posts from friends, famous artists, random things I found, or sometimes me. They are also going to take all forms, photos, songs, crafts or, like today, poems.

If you would like to be featured, send me a message or leave a comment. Or if you just have awesome art that you've found or that you were reminded of, please share!

Today's ArThursday comes in the form of a poem. This was written by my friend Seth. If you are interested in more, check out his new blog ex cathedra.

My mind is not my own
it goes where it wishes
Overturning rocks the size of buildings
Uncovering chasm of ancient depth

And then my heart sees itself
a reflection of the shimmering of an
intangible instant; and latches itself
whole heartedly attached

Nobility in the pursuit of a
Sacred Quest do the two
seek through the firmament of the Earth
for the very thing that gives them leave to seek

I shift through the pieces of my heart,
mind, and vessels they have returned with
And seven times over can I reassemble them
to bear a resemblance to the world that holds me

First bleak and structured
Then bright and fluid
Now both, until I touch it and
it collapses into something incomprehensible

And so is my Sisyphus
To build and lose and gain
While trying to make my mind Understand
and my heart Know
What's really going on here.

Recipe of the Week, Launch!

2011-03-08T01:00:00.003-05:00

...or Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew.

I am absolutely obsessed with food. Eating it, cooking it, learning about where it comes from and how it is made. So I decided it would be a great idea to start a regular recipe of the week post. Sometimes they will be recipes of my own creation, sometimes ones straight out of a cookbook or from online. Mostly they will probably be somewhere in between.

I thought I would start off with an easy slow cooker recipe. This week our recipe comes from Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian.
I have serious problems with this cookbook, but I am not going to go on a tirade about it because it was a highly appreciated gift. The recipe is as follows, however I made some adjustments as I started cooking with significantly less core ingredients than I had previously thought. The changes I made are marked.

Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew

Prep Time 15 Minutes : Cook Time 8 hours : Servings 6

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces¹
1 Kabocha squash, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces²
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper³
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper⁴
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger⁵
1 teaspoon minced garlic⁶
32 oz (4 cups) vegetable broth⁷
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1. In a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker⁸, mix sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and lentils⁹.

2. In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, ginger and garlic. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and cayenne pepper. Pour mixture into slow cooker; stir.

3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting for 5 hours¹⁰.

4. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook for 3 hours.

5. Serve topped with yogurt.

We enjoyed this recipe and it was incredibly easy, as most slow cooker recipes are. I did sustain my first cooking injury in quite some time, but they serve blood in China anyway. Hope you enjoy it as well. If there are any questions, please feel free to ask.

Notes:
1 The recipe called for 3 cups, but I only had 2.
2 If you don't know what Kabocha squash is or have never had it, you should. It is a Japanese winter squash that is absolutely delicious. If you buy it organic, you don't have to peel it. If not organic then peel it before you eat it.
3 The original recipe didn't call for this, but we are a spicy household. The end stew was not spicy at all, so add more if you want a kick.
4 I have never in my life measured out 1/4 of a teaspoon, but in case you are a precise type of cook, I left it there.
5 The original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot. We didn't have any, so I substituted the ground.
6 I use pre-minced garlic a lot because it is so convenient and easy. If you have fresh garlic, please use it. This is equivalent to 1 clove, but you can never have too much garlic.
7 The original recipe called for a 14oz can of vegetable broth. Broth is one of the easiest things to have homemade, you should never waste money on store-bought broth. I had a frozen 16 oz container that I used, but once I put it in there it didn't seem like enough. So I added another one.
8 I used a 5 1/2 quart crock pot.
9 There was a debate over whether or not the lentils were cooked to the proper consistency. In stews, I prefer my lentils firm. If you would prefer your lentils softer or mushy, you might want to consider putting the lentils in the bottom and not mixing them up. This way they will stay in the broth the entire cooking time.
10 With the original ingredient of carrots, rather than Kabocha squash, you are supposed to cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. They also add green beans at this point and turn on high for about 15 minutes or until green beans are crisp-tender. Make sure you adjust depending on which ingredients you choose to use.

Vegan? Not Vegan?

2011-03-07T01:00:00.001-05:00

...or why I decided not to be vegan anymore.

I had been vegetarian and then vegan for about 3 years. When I went to China we decided that we were going to do the best we could at keeping our diet the same. However, being in a smaller city in China, not knowing the language, and eating with other people made it extremely difficult to eat vegetarian and impossible to eat vegan.

When I got back from China the first time, it was around Thanksgiving and I decided to eat the traditional food, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy. By the time Christmas rolled around, I was so weighed down by animal products that I was fully ready to be vegan again, and consequently had a delicious vegan Christmas.

This time around, I was in Shanghai, a much larger city
with many international influences. I was easily able to eat many different types of food, and many of which were vegetarian and even sometimes vegan. I did still eat meat, but not at every meal and not very often. Because of this, I didn't get as overrun with animal products and instead found a renewed love for eggs and acceptance of dairy.

Eggs

It seems that the experts can't agree whether or not eggs are a healthy source of protein or killing us with cholesterol. I have decided, through my own independent research, that eggs are fine to eat. Like any other food they should be eaten in moderation, not 5 egg omelets everyday for breakfast. Also, cooking them in ways other than just frying, obviously, makes them a healthier and more appealing option.

Once you've decided to eat eggs, the next debate is over whole eggs or egg whites. I have found that the chart below from Fitsugar.com best expresses a healthy way to consume eggs.

	Two large eggs	Three egg whites	One large egg plus two egg whites
Calories	142	51	105
Fat	10 g	.2 g	5.1 g
Sat. Fat	4 g	0 g	2 g
Cholesterol	422 mg	0 mg	211 mg
Sodium	140 mg	164 mg	180 mg
Protein	12 g	10.8 g	13.2 g
Riboflavin (B2)	.4 mg	.3 mg	.4 mcg
Vitamin B12	1.2 mcg	0 mcg	.6 mcg
Vitamin D	35 IU	0 IU	17.5 IU
Iron	1.8 mg	0 mg	.9 mg
			Courtesy of Fitsugar.com

The only problem I have with the idea of not consuming whole eggs is what to do with the leftovers? While in Shanghai, the breakfast buffet had an egg station. When I would tell the cook I wanted egg whites, he would take my two yolks and put them in the bowl of whisked eggs used for omelets. This made me never want to order a regular omelet for fear that I would be eating one consisting almost entirely of egg yolks. But saving egg yolks for things like baking recipes seems like a reasonable idea. It is one thing to consume an entire extra egg yolk yourself, but spreading it out over a whole loaf of banana nut bread isn't nearly as bad. The frugal part of me is satisfied by this alternative.

While I have decided that eggs are healthy to eat at their core, this still comes with the caveat that they must not be conventional. Though it has been debated, I believe conventional eggs grown in factory farms are in themselves not as healthy as non-factory eggs. Studies report higher levels of Omega 3 and Vitamins A and E, and lower levels of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and Omega 6 in free range eggs¹. This is not even to mention the appalling conditions of laying hens, the inhumane disposal of male chicks or the environmental destruction of conventional factory farms. If you are interested in learning more about any of those topics, here is a great starter to that conversation. The East End Food Co-op is where I buy my eggs, or have since we got back. They have a nice selection of local, organic and free range eggs. I personally bought the ones from Nu Way Farm in Fredonia, PA. Nu Way is run by the Yoder family, a mom, a dad and 7 children, not workers who have to wear face masks just to enter the "barn" complex.

Dairy

I am still having a bit of a problem feeling okay about eating dairy. My biggest issue with dairy production, no matter how humane the animals are treated on the farm, is that a calf, kid or lamb has to be born each year. The only way that a milk producing animal will produce that milk, is by making its body think that there is a baby it must support with that milk. Therefore, every year there must be a birth and then there is a baby that must be dealt with. Mostly these offspring are sold at auction and then immediately killed for meat or raised and killed later. This, of course, makes me uncomfortable, because, unlike eggs which hens will lay regardless of fertilization, there is a by-product to my delicious yogurt and it is a living creature. Right now I am chalking this up to being efficient and using every part of a system, but I am still struggling with it a bit. If only goat yogurt wasn't so delicious! :(

Milk has my same caveat of buying local, non-factory farmed dairy, as they have similar issues to factory eggs. (More on that here.) Again the co-op has a great selection, this week I purchased Seven Stars Farm low-fat plain yogurt. It is okay, but I much prefer goat to cow's milk. My favorite local goat farm is Paradise Gardens and Farm in Reynoldsville, PA. I had a great e-mail exchange with Lucinda, one of the owners, and even considered doing one of their apprenticeships.

I am hoping that this is a good decision. It is one that I have thought over and debated over. What I choose to put in my body is a question that I constantly wrestle with. It is one for which I am continually looking for new information and hungry(harhar) to learn new knowledge about. I hope that this has been helpful and you too would look at what you eat thoughtfully.

Please leave comments and opinions, even if they are conflicting. I always enjoy hearing what others think about these issues, especially in the current culture of organic trendiness.

Diary of a Slogger, Part 2

2011-03-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

...Or how to tell Grandma to suck it!

As I stated yesterday, running outside means that inevitably you get passed by other people. While on the Jail Trail, there are cars that pass you, completely forgivable, they are cars on the parkway, come on! Then there are the bikers, excusable, I can bike like three times as far as run. The Bladers, oh 90s, okay they are still on wheels. The super fit He-runners, well clearly. The middle-aged joggers, okay fine they've been running their whole lives. Then it happens, the grandma passes you. And there is nothing you can say to yourself. Nothing. You have a look of disbelief on your face, even though you smiled politely at her as she passed, you are questioning everything you know. Why am I here? What am I doing? Do I even know what running means? Am I able to move my legs in an efficient motion? And you want to crawl home and cry yourself to sleep in a corner, telling yourself "Well, I bet she can't do The Shred!"

This is what happened to me whilst slogging, well not the dramatic part at the end because I am not very emotional. My friend, and much better runner, told me a while ago, when she first started running about being passed by a grandma. I didn't think it was all that big of a deal, I mean we are all different, with different skills and abilities. But being passed by anyone, has the tendency to make you feel inadequate, especially when you are first starting out. I decided I would share some of the things that I tell myself to feel better when this happens.

"I am enjoying the scenery more than them."

"Well at least I have good form."

"They have much longer legs than I do." (note: This only works to provide motivation to those of us who actually have shorter legs than the ones passing.)

"They must have a better playlist than me."

"They must have a worst playlist than me." (note: My current jogging playlist rocks, but unfortunately it sometimes induces what I like to call "dance running", therefore slowing my pace down with awesome dance moves.)

"I am more of a distance runner."

"I am saving my energy for when I have to run from the escaped prisoners." (note: Again, only works on the Jail Trail.)

I find that laughing always takes the pressure off for me. It helps me to re-focus and remember that I am jogging to have fun and feel healthy, not feel bad because grandma already knows these things.

Anybody have any funny or interesting things they tell themselves to keep motivated?

Diary of a Slogger

2011-03-03T04:00:00.001-05:00

Let me first explain the term "slogger". So there is walking, jogging and running. But then within these categories there are various speeds or intensities, right? Clearly going for a leisurely stroll isn't as intense as a brisk walk. Therefore with jogging, there is slogging, mogging, and fogging; slow, medium and fast.

When we got to China, I decided to start running. I thought it would be a great way to have a goal to achieve, plus I have many runner friends who I figured would be nice to run with once I got home. I went online to get a schedule for how to train for an 8k and went to work. I have been enjoying it quite a bit. It is nice to see your progress and to have a tangible goal. I am not yet a "runner" per se, but I am okay with being a slogger for now.

While in China, our hotel had a fitness center. I used the treadmill there, which was nice since you shouldn't run outside in most cities in China because of the pollution. Now that we are home, and since I don't have a gym membership, I went for a jog outside. As I was jogging, my mind was thinking of the comparisons between using a treadmill and using nature. These opinions are listed below.

Treadmills vs. Outdoor Running

The "Outside" opinions pertain to one experience using the Eliza Furnace Trail, or the "Jail Trail". The "Treadmill" opinions are of a treadmill inside a gym, not necessarily one in the comfort of your own home.

Speed Regulation Winner: Treadmill

Treadmill - You can set your speed and know exactly how fast you are going.

Outside - Much more difficult to judge, though this is dependent on the next factor.

Distance Winner: Treadmill

Treadmill - You are able to set exactly how fast or slow you would like to go.

Outside - I went online to look up how long the trail was, all the sources stated 2.5 miles. However once I got on the trail there were conflicting signs, and I wasn't exactly sure where the trail started and ended. Also, there is currently construction on the trail, and I wasn't sure how the detour factored into the distance.

Incline Winner: Both

Treadmill - You can set how steep you want to go (note: when using a treadmill you should always set the incline at least on 1% as anything less is akin to running slightly downhill)

Outside - Though you can't set exactly what the incline is, there are "surprise" downhill sections. Also, I was running on a rails-to-trails trail, so there weren't any steep areas. This would not be true for the entire rest of Pittsburgh.

Temperature Winner: Both

Treadmill - Usually in gyms the temperature is constantly set on a nice temperature that makes it pleasant to exercise in. (note: the gym in Shanghai was extremely warm, because the heater was always on, or really cold, when the windows were open to combat the heater)

Outside - While in the summer or winter it can make exercising outside sometimes unpleasant, the fall and spring offer nice breezes and good sun intensity.

Pollution Winner: In this case neither, but it should be both

Treadmill - Non-existent, except when the windows have to be open and you are in China.

Outside - I usually use this trail quite often for biking. I never thought of it until yesterday, but since the trail runs right between the parkway and 2nd Avenue, two major and busy roads, the air quality is far from pure.

Fellow Health Enthusiasts Winner: Treadmill

Treadmill - Though you can tell when others are going faster or slower than you, they still never physically pass you. Also, while I do go at a slower pace, I usually end up going for a longer period of time than my other zealous runners.

Outside - You get passed by other runners, this doesn't feel good. Unlike with the treadmill, I don't know how long they have been running at this speed and therefore assume that it has been for days and I suck at life. (More to come on this in my next post)

Scenery Winner: Outside

Treadmill - Running on a treadmill gets really boring. I mean really boring. Even with a television or music.

Outside - There is so much to look at! I was amazed by how much more pleasurable it was to actually feel like I was going somewhere and seeing something. Also, you're outside!

By votes, treadmill wins. However, most of those were dependent on the specific experience I had on the Jail Trail and not an overall running outside experience. I also want to give outside extra points for scenery, because, in case you couldn't tell, it was really great. I guess that makes it more of a tie. Though, since I am not getting a gym membership and it is only going to get nicer out, all of my future slogging will be outside. That is at least until we leave the country again and even then it will depend on the city.

Yay Nature!

For those joggers/runners out there, which do you prefer? Are there other factors I haven't considered?

Photos?

2011-03-01T01:00:00.002-05:00

In keeping with trying to take more photographs, I thought I would share some from our recent trips around Shanghai.

Hope you enjoy!

Operation Street Cleaning

2011-02-27T02:00:00.001-05:00

...Or how China is tricky at suppressing protests.

Of course, you have heard of the protests in Tunisia, Egypt and now Libya. Well it seems as though China might be trying to bring the North African changes over to Asia. A website, Boxun.com, called for China to take up the "Jasmine Protests" and show their distaste for the current situation here. This was last Sunday, where it posted specific locations, including the Peace Cinema in Shanghai. They called for people to continue the protest every Sunday at 2pm. The Peace Cinema happens to be very close to us, in fact if we were on the other side of the hotel we could see it. So we decided to go over there and see if anything was going to happen. Peace Cinema is within a greater mall, called Raffles City, that also has a subway stop underneath it. This entire area is always pretty crowded because of all the shopping and restaurants.

As we were walking over, a mere 5 min walk, we started to see more police officers than usual. Then there was a large street cleaning truck that sprayed unsuspecting walkers, showing how rare it was that they were there. When we got to the corner across from the mall, the side street was closed. The sidewalk was very crowded with people, more than usual, but they were mostly looking around to see what was going on. The cinema had been closed, again. (Last week, it was shut down for "repairs" as well). There were probably about 150 police officers, all blowing whistles and ushering people along. There really wasn't much that happened, because there were so many police officers that wouldn't allow it. The thing that was most surprising to me, and why I named this post Operation Street Cleaning, was the use of street cleaners.

On top of the large street cleaning truck, there were two motorized sidewalk cleaners that were also stationed right in front of the Cinema. They did an awful good job of making sure that the crowd could not congregate for long. Is it possible that this was a coincidence? No, it was clearly part of the government quelling these "protests" before they could start.

They were certainly not protests, most people were like us, just trying to see what was going on. We saw a few police officers question a Chinese man and take away his camera. While there were many others taking pictures, even a Westerner with a professional camera, that were not confiscated. Later, a few men were taken away from the crowd and two police vans drove off with their sirens going, presumably with those people. Aside from that, it was mostly just whistle-blowing.

I do not know much about Tunisia, Egypt or Libya. I also don't know much about China, but at least I have spent time here. I have not experience any form of oppression, aside from being blocked from certain websites. I don't know if China could actually gain some ground by organizing these kind of protests. I only hope that it can be peaceful and that there won't be more "human rights violations", especially not on the same scale as Libya.

Two videos Ben shot of the scene:

Links:

Vancouver Sun Article

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's Response

China Blocks LinkedIn, It's Last Social Networking Site

Capture vs. Experience

2011-02-25T01:00:00.001-05:00

...or the great photo debate.

I wanted to throw this post out there so you might understand why there aren't always a ton of pictures in this blog.

A person is on the beach, when the sun starts to set. This creates a beautiful and breathtaking sunset. They get up and start to run back to their room to grab their camera. Then they stop and think, should I get my camera and hopefully get back in time to not miss the shot? Or should I save it and just experience what life has given me in this moment?

I love photography. I have studied it and it use to be one of my favorite things to do. I truly believe that photos can change lives and spread a message in an entirely different way than words. I think that photos can be so visually appealing that you literally can't take your eyes off them. Don't mistake what I am saying as a bash against photography and all the lovely photographers out there. My perspective changed when I realized I was living my life more through the lens of a camera and less through my own eyes and body. I decided that I wanted to first experience my life and then capture it. And if I wasn't able to capture it, that didn't mean it was any less valuable.

With that said, I am trying to get back in the habit of taking more pictures and re-discovering my love for photography. So, hopefully you will be able to see some of that.

In other news, Ben and I are coming home on Monday! I am really excited. Shanghai has been nice, but overall it wasn't our cup of tea as the saying goes. I am sure I will probably change my mind once we hit snow-laden Pittsburgh. But I will take snowy, friend-filled Pittsburgh, over spring-weathered Shanghai!

Code-switching

2011-02-23T01:00:00.002-05:00

STAR World is an English language channel providing mostly American television to Asia. It is broadcast to China, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Middle East, Malaysia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh. STAR World is owned by News Corp., the same HUGE media conglomerate that is run by Rupert Murdoch and owns others like Disney, Fox and Time Warner¹.

Though neither of us are big TV watchers when we are home, for us, STAR World is a nice break from China. It has shows that we are familiar with, even if we wouldn't normally watch them in the US, and that are in English. We even get exposed to shows like Junior Masterchef Australia, which I have come to love. The style of the channel is very different from US television channels. While in the US, usually for an hour show there is 47-53 minutes of show and the rest is taken up with 4-5 commercial breaks sprinkled throughout the show. I always assumed that because STAR World was spread across such a vast geographic area that they were unable to focus advertisements, therefore, the amount of breaks for shows were cut in half. When there were breaks they would usually be 2-3 ads for other shows coming up and then 1-2 that were for Colgate or something and had general Southeast Asian actors. This was nice because you get more show and fewer commercials. But now things are different.

STAR World was recently named the Highest Rated...Female-Oriented Channel...in the Philippines! ::applause::

When they first started advertising this, on STAR World, we were laughing about it. They have a whole montage of all their shows and they have graphics saying "Thank you" in 25 languages, and even shots from the Philippines winning some big beauty pageant. It started with just this commercial, at least once in every commercial break. Then the shows started being sponsored, something that was never shown before: "Glee Season 2 is brought to you by Greenwich Pizza, the most popular pizza of the Philippines". Okay, that's cool. Then the commercials started changing. No more of the Colgate commercials that I had memorize from seeing them so many times, instead a Dove commercial for whitening deodorant. (Whitening soaps are very common in Southeast Asia, however since we have been mostly in more northern China, they haven't been prevalent). Then it happened, Ben and I were watching television and a commercial break came. Apparently for some men's cologne or aftershave, it might have even been mouthwash, the man was clearly Southeast Asian and as he was speaking we became very confused. It was as if I could understand him, but I couldn't. I questioned what he was speaking, what I spoke, did I even know English, I just didn't know anymore. When it was over Ben and I looked at each other and asked "Was he speaking English?" This started happening with more and more commercials. We finally were able to piece together that there were certainly English words in the commercials, but they were not in English, they were definitely in another language. That language was Filipino or Tagalog, well kind of, let me explain. I assume that you have all heard of "Spanglish", hopefully you have seen the film as it is good. Spanglish is an example of code-switching. A speaker who knows two languages, switches in between the two while speaking, most commonly just using the first form of the word that comes to mind, no matter the language. Tagalog is the non-standardized form of Filipino. Filipino and English are both official languages of the Philippines, therefore, Taglish or Englog is very commonly spoken there. Here is an example²:

Magshoshopping kami sa mall. Sino ba ang magdadrive sa shopping center?

We will go shopping at the mall. Who will drive to the shopping center?

See how confusing that can be? Now, all shows are sponsored by companies in the Philippines and the commercials are almost entirely in Filipino/Tagalog or Taglish. It is not that I care about the loss of Colgate commercials, I mean who can like a company that makes Wisps, but it's that Fox has done exactly what a large media corporation should do in this situation. They have been told the Philippines is watching them, so they have decidedly switched entirely over to targeting only them. By doing this I feel they have alienated the entire rest of the market. The Philippines is only one of the countries STAR World broadcasts to. Of course this doesn't affect me all that much, but if I was a resident of any of the other countries I wouldn't give a crap if Greenwich pizza is the best in the Philippines, I'm not there and I am not Filipino. This is obviously one of the lesser of the enumerable evils by News Corp., but it is still something to think about. Thanks Fox, at least now I know more about code-switching than I ever thought. Below is a great example of the commercials with code-switching in the Philippines.

KTV

2011-02-21T04:15:00.002-05:00

...or the better version of Karaoke.

Most of us are familiar with Karaoke, there is a bar and a stage. One or two people get up and sing along with a screen telling them the lyrics to a song. Often people either hate or love Karaoke bars. KTV has a microphone that is sung into whilst reading highlighted lyrics off of a screen, but it is also so much more. I was introduced to KTV in Shenyang and blown away by how different it was from Karaoke bars in the States. First of all, you are in your own room.

"Partyworld" KTV room in Shanghai, and Ben

Rooms vary in size depending on how many people you have but the one in the picture was a "small" one in Shanghai. As you can see the rooms are really nice with comfortable couches and fun decor. This way you don't have to worry about singing to an entire bar full of people, it's just you and the others in the room.

Second, the screen is not some 13" old television with a plain blue background and lyrics. Instead, they are nice quality flat screens with music videos*.

Another view of the room, and Ben

*The music videos vary in what exactly is on the screen. I am not sure how they get the music or what they pay for it. I am sure it costs more to have the actual music video for the song being sung rather than a random video, or at least I hope that is their excuse. For example, "I Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem ft. Rihanna (yes, I love this song, don't hate just cuz you like Arcadia Fire - this link has explicit content like Eminem's music) had the actual video with Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox kicking the crap out of each other, along with the real audio. Sometimes you aren't as lucky, like with "All The Small Things" by Blink 182 which was accompanied by an early 90s video of random things including a huge commercial tractor plowing a field. My favorite was "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana with another early 90s video of a woman walking around the Garden Cafe and shots of a crystal duck. What was significantly more annoying then the videos in no way matching the songs was when the background music was a recreation with a Casio 5000 keyboard. It had the habit of ruining them a bit, but thankfully this wasn't for the majority of songs.

The touch screen control

If you ignore the fact that everything is in Chinese, you see how awesome these controls are. It is a touch screen controller in which you can change the sound of the song (volume, speed, pitch), search and view songs, restart the song, pause the song, turn off the recorded vocals, etc. Granted because it was in Chinese it took us a lot of trial and error to figure out what everything did, but when we got there it was highly appreciated.

It is relatively cheap to go to KTV, though Karaoke bars are usually free. For the room we had, it was ¥138 for 5 hours, roughly $21. Granted we went on a Monday afternoon, not the busiest time, though there were others there. Each person is also required to buy a drink, their mango slush was delicious and cooled my vocal cords. When we first got the reservation for 5 hours, we never thought we would stay for the whole time, but it went by pretty quickly and we were having a good time. Downside, Ben has a pretty good singing voice and I try to tell myself that my voice has gotten better over the years, but do you know what is worse than listening to mediocre singers magnified over a sound system ruining your favorite songs, that's right mediocre singers tired, scratchy voices from singing for 5 hours magnified over a sound system. We were cracking each other up by the end, it was horribly epic.

The blue and red colored foam covers are disposible, yay hygiene.

When I went in Shenyang, I went with the group of Chinese medical students I had got to know. Though I was becoming friends with them, I wasn't super close to them and they all had really great voices. So, I felt a bit self-conscious at the KTV and didn't sing that many songs. This time it was just Ben and I, so I made a complete fool of myself. I had a lot of fun and it really makes me wish that KTV-style Karaoke was available in our part of the country.

If you have the chance definitely check out a KTV, just be careful if you are in Southeast Asia, especially The Philippines, and like to sing Frank Sinatra: "The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the 'My Way Killings.'" The entire article is here, quite an interesting cultural phenomenon.

Metro

2011-02-18T01:00:00.002-05:00

No, this isn't about China's new "problem" with metrosexuals (though if you are looking for two differing opinions on that, here is an Asian take on it.) This post is about why Ben and I are in China, the Metro or Subway.

Chang Chang (Smooth Traffic) - Shanghai Metro's Mascot

Unlike when we were in Shenyang, where they were putting in the first metro line, Shanghai has 11 lines plus a maglev making it the longest metro system in the world. This makes it incredibly easy to go anywhere using the Metro. You can buy a single-trip ticket or a public transportation card which can be used for the Metro, the buses or even the taxis! The metro rides are a whopping ¥3, which is less than 50 cents.

Why do I think the Metro succeeds here? First, it doesn't just succeed here, it does everywhere that there is one. But for Shanghai, here are the reasons:

1. The system is entirely user-friendly. There are maps everywhere and even interactive ones on touch screen computers.

2. The system goes everywhere, nothing is a far walk from a Metro station.

3. The system is cheap, to take a taxi it costs ¥12 just to get in and an additional ¥2.4 for each km after the first 3km, not to mention that it is more expensive after 11pm.

Because of these reasons the system is convenient. I have become so use to the Metro, that I am starting to worry about going back to Pittsburgh, where we have a public transportation system that is not only shrinking, but always seems to be on the brink of destruction. There are a significant amount of cars in China, as well as mopeds, bikes and various other bi-pedal wheeled vehicles. When we were in Shenyang, someone said that Chinese had gotten a taste of personal vehicles and they thought the Metros wouldn't be as popular. Sometimes the trains are nice and comfortable like this, where you can even find a seat:

During the afternoon, on our way to lunch.

But it is also, especially during commuting hours or weekends, like this too:

On our way back that Saturday evening

This might seem like a drawback for some people, especially Americans where "person space" is cultural. I like it better, because I feel like a part of something in a weird metaphorical way. Also, you don't have to hold on because the train is so packed with people you all kind of move together and with the train.

I hope that we can adopt some of China's transportation infrastructure and get moving. It took London 120 years to create its 408km of Underground, Shanghai did it in only 15 years, what will it take us?

Links:

8 Things You Didn't Know About the Shanghai Metro

Wiki - Shanghai Metro

Chinese Christian Church - A Study

2011-02-16T01:00:00.002-05:00

When I heard that we were going to China, one of the first questions I had: "how will this affect our Christianity?" I have heard about persecution, I've read The Heavenly Man, what does this all mean to me? So, I went online and looked up if we were allowed to bring Bibles and what other rules we needed to keep in mind. Basically, what I found was as long as we weren't going to be smuggling hundreds of Bibles into the country and preaching on the street corner that God wanted the Chinese to rebel against the government, then we would be okay.

Shenyang

The first time I said "I'm a Christian" and the secret police didn't jump out to blindfold me and take me away forever, I thought maybe I have a misconception about this. One of the women at the English wore a cross and later one of those colored bead necklaces (the ones where the color stands for something like blue is for baptism, red is for Christ's blood, etc.) and then a father and daughter talked about going to the Catholic church, Christianity seemed less taboo. I was told about a fellowship that met in the hotel right next to ours, so we thought we would go check it out. We went in and looked for any signs saying where it was meeting and couldn't find any. So, we asked the hotel staff at the front desk and the word "fellowship" was completely lost in translation. The father and daughter told us to come to the Catholic church where they went. Though neither of us is Catholic, we thought it would be a good experience and at least they would be there so hopefully it wouldn't be a bust like the fellowship. After a rather interesting taxi ride, we finally found the church. It was completely out-of-place, a truly gothic style church with an iron gate, it seemed to be lifted right out of Europe, but it was surrounded by your average modern Chinese buildings.

Yes this is the church

We walked into the church and were greeted by what looked like a wedding going on. But there were contradicting facts, there was a man in a suit and a woman in a white dress in the front, there were nicely dressed people at the very front of the church, then there were regularly dress people in the rest of the church. We sat down thinking, maybe they put a wedding ceremony in the middle of mass, maybe that's how they roll in China. People would walk in and sit down for a while, some would stay, some would leave. Everything was in Chinese so we had no idea what was going on. We finally decided this is definitely a wedding and we are out of our cultural comfortability to come to a wedding uninvited and without even a gift. As we were about to leave, something changed. Everyone started clapping and the couple turned to the audience and started bowing. So we started clapping too, after all they had just got westerners to attend their wedding for free, usually you have to pay them for that. After a lot of bowing and clapping the couple retreated down the aisle and proceeded to take pictures in the courtyard, that's what the car adorned with flowers was for.

As we walked out we saw our friends, they explained to us that the mass was actually in the smaller chapel and they were going to the Japanese lesson the church taught. They would see us afterwards for the cookies and hot drinks the church gave after the service. The "mass" was one of the most interesting I have ever been too. The priest was American and there were a bunch of others who did various things like sing, read verses, altar boys, etc. They were from all over the world. The attendees were as diverse, there was a French family in front of us and two Africans sitting behind us.

It was okay overall, but Ben's schedule didn't allow us to really go anymore to it. So it was difficult for us to participate in many organized church functions, but because the schedule was a bit hectic, we didn't look that much harder.

Shanghai

Before we left to come back to China this time, I thought ahead. I got the contact information for the local Chinese church in Pittsburgh and asked if they knew of any good church in Shanghai. They gave me the information for Shanghai Community Fellowship. I e-mailed the church about their cell groups and Sunday services. They had a note on their website: "In observance of Chinese government regulations, our English Services are open to foreign passport holders or foreign residence permit holders only. Chinese nationals are welcome to attend a Chinese service at Hengshan Church on Sundays at 7AM, 10AM, or 6:30PM." This made me wonder what exactly the regulations were. I have been researching and trying to understand what the official regulations are.

There are two types of churches in China, state- sanctioned churches and non-sanctioned churches, house churches. For a church to become state sanctioned, it has to follow certain guidelines and be approved by the Religious Affairs Department. Then it must make regular reports to the state and notify them if anything has changed. The two Protestant groups here are Three-Self Patriotic Movement and China Christian Council, they combine to be the only state sanctioned Protestant churches. The Three- Self Patriotic Movement was started to try to take the Christian church back to the Chinese. It "promoted a strategy of 'self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation' in order to remove foreign influences from the Chinese churches and to assure the communist government that the churches would be patriotic to the newly-established People's Republic of China." So any state-sanctioned church in China, that is Protestant, is under the combined TSPM/CCC, and has to follow the regulations the government puts on them. Any Chinese national who is over the age of 18 is allowed to go to any of these churches. But why the separation between Chinese nationals and foreigners? I am still not sure, but when I find the answer I will share it. The one thing I have been able to deduce is that maybe it has to do with the TSPM and making sure the Chinese nationals are still committed to the PRC.

Shanghai Community Fellowship

As for the church, I found out that there was a Saturday cell group that was about 10 minutes walk away from our hotel. We attended the cell group, which had quite a mix of people, including some Chinese which I was surprised at. It was a nice little group and we very much enjoyed it, though they are currently on hiatus because of Spring Festival. Shanghai Community Fellowship has two Sunday afternoon services, which are huge, maybe 500-750 people at each service and it is the holiday. So it is what I consider a mega-church, but the services haven't been that bad. They try to focus on community, which is right up our alley, last weeks service was on κοινωνία and I felt like I was sitting in HMBFC. I am glad they make it a point for people to join their cell groups, because I am not sure if their Sunday service would quite be enough. Though, I don't ever believe that the point of a service is to be the only part of community in your life.

Links:

Wiki - Christianity in China

Wiki - TSPM

Amity - China Church FAQ or Religious Laws

China Wiki - Christianity

Chinese Lunar New Year

2011-02-14T01:00:00.002-05:00

When I first heard that we might be going back to China, I was really excited that we might be here for Chinese New Year. I mean what would be cooler that being in China for the largest party in the world, right? mmm...naivety strikes again.

Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!

This is the common greeting (in Mandarin) said, meaning happy new year, congratulations and prosperity. Many children greet their relatives with Gōng xǐ fā cái, hóng bāo ná lái, meaning happy new year, now give me a red envelope (red envelopes are given mostly to children with money in them).

I did not take this picture

Spring Festival - A Brief History

First, some background on Chinese Lunar New Year. It is the biggest holiday in Chinese culture and is actually referred to as Spring Festival. The holiday is officially celebrated for 15 days, though there are also traditions that are celebrated on the days preceding the holiday. On the days preceding the festival, people clean everything. This symbolizes cleaning out the old of the last year, including the bad luck. Each day has specific activities and foods. There are days when you visit specific people, like your oldest relatives, the husband's parents, the wife's parents, etc. The firecrackers that are so common are shot off to send away the old year and welcome new year, the DEAFening sound is also believed to scare away evil spirits. One tradition that particularly peaked my interest was the wearing of red on the first day, especially red underwear. Red is one of the luckiest colors in Chinese tradition, standing for loyalty, success and happiness. It is important to wear red underwear if it is your zodiac year, like this is mine as I am turning 24, because that is believed to be an unlucky year for you and it will ward off this unluckiness. (Unfortunately, China failed to tell me this and I didn't have any red underwear or even any red clothes, so hopefully the gods will be satisfied with the maroon Like Summer T-shirt that I wore). The festival ends on the 15th day with Lantern Festival, everyone walks around with lanterns and candles are lit to guide wayward spirits home. Lastly, due to the visiting of family members, it is also the Chunyun period, know as the largest annual human migration. "The number of passenger journeys during the Chunyun period has exceeded the population of China, hitting 2.26 billion in 2008." I had a "Oh, Oh! There's a line, should I get in it?" moment when we left our hotel one day and saw a rather large line equipped with a security guard. When we reached the front of the line, we realized that it was for a travel agency and people were booking for Spring Festival. For more on the specifics, check out Wikipedia, it is a pretty good article.

Spring Festival - A Reality

I lived in the southwest of the US for a large chunk of my childhood, especially for the majority of my formative years. In case you are unaware the southwest is a vast wasteland of desert where large amounts of people shouldn't try to live, but do anyway. For this reason they are REALLY strict about fireworks. So you don't get a lot of fireworks shows and when you do they are done by the city. Now, like any respectable person, I still love fire and am a slight pyro when it comes down to it, but I have never been much of a fan of fireworks. My husband thinks this might be because I have never actually used fireworks myself, apart from sparklers which are awesome. I just don't really understand why they are so cool, they all just seem the same to me after a while. Now, I knew there were going to be fireworks during the New Year, I mean the US does fireworks and I have seen Chinese movies. But when we started seeing signs a few days before the festival was starting saying No Fireworks!, by stores, inside malls, in the subway tunnels, I started to think maybe I had underestimated the Chinese. I would come to realize that I had underestimated my underestimation.

We have a great hotel room on the 33rd floor of our hotel and therefore a rather nice view of the city. The firecrackers had already been going for a bit on New Years Eve, but once the sun went down, the light show began. I thought I knew what a fireworks show looked like, but I had no idea. For the Pittsburghers, imagine being in the Steel Tower/UPMC building facing away from Ohio River. Then imagine that throughout the Southside 25 different houses are setting off fireworks, then another 15 on North Side, and 50 all over Downtown, Oakland and Squirrel Hill, continuously. I am not talking little fireworks, I mean regular Pirates win fireworks. The US has nothing on China when it comes to ringing in the New Year, the rest of the world has nothing on China. Every couple of minutes I would think that different sections were finale-ing. But the fireworks continued for hours, slowly increasing in intensity. At midnight, even through closed windows, all you could smell was the gunpowder, the city was lit up in a way I have never seen. Though I hope to never be in the middle of a war zone during an epic battle, this is what it must look and sound like. It was certainly one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen.

That night certainly won me over for the awesomeness of fireworks... It has been the remaining days of the Spring Festival that have made me loath them more than ever before. In the following days, there is always a firecracker or explosion of some sort going off somewhere. I am so sick and tired of hearing them and being woken up by them, that I can't really take it anymore. We had met two couples, the one both Malaysian and the other the woman is Chinese and the man is a New Zealander. Both couples explained to us that they leave the city during New Year because they can't stand to be here. We were confused, but now we understand.

In conclusion, I wish we had a family to celebrate Spring Festival with, it might make it more bearable. Or maybe not.

Trying Again...

2011-02-11T01:00:00.001-05:00

So, I stopped posting because nobody was really reading what I was posting. Which made me feel like I was wasting my time.

But there are two reasons why I have decided to try this again. First, a lot has changed since I last posted and it would be nice to document/update people on it. Second, I have nothing to do with my life right now aside from sleep, eat and exercise. So it won't be a waste of time, since I have so much. :)

What has changed? Well, for one thing, I no longer work at Rock The World. It has definitely been interesting going from having a regular job, even though it was part-time, to not having anything. I decided to leave RTW because it seemed like a good time to transition out of the job, and also because of the second thing that has massively changed my life right now. My husband Ben has been traveling with his job and I have been going with him. And when I say traveling, I mean going to China. We were in Shenyang, China for two months at the end of last year, and we are currently in Shanghai. My very good friend, Jen, suggested I start blogging about our travels and I thought I didn't have anything better to do.

Shenyang or "The Pittsburgh of China" vs. Shanghai or "New York on Crack"

While Ben and I have been here in Shanghai, we've found it really easy to make comparisons to Shenyang. I haven't completely decided if it was a bad thing to have Shenyang be our first introduction to China, but I am definitely leaning that way. We loved Shenyang so much, because it felt like home, that everywhere else has fallen a bit short.

First, why is Shenyang the Pittsburgh of China? Well, it is an old industrial city that is trying to find its new place in the world. It has had huge pushes to reduce pollution and is currently putting in a subway. Though it is a large city for the US, it is a medium size city for China. This means that there isn't a huge amount of tourism, just a great native Chinese population. The food was delicious, oh Dongbei, how I miss you! Another thing that was specific to our experience, there was a medical university across the street from our hotel, and most of my Chinese friends were medical students.

Shenyang - Eating Lunch with some of my new friends

Before we came to Shanghai, many people said to us that it was like "New York on Crack". Do I agree with this classification? Maybe. I mean it is a HUGE city in a small place, 19.2 million people in 7,037 km sq(2,717 mi sq) compared to NYC 19.1 million in 17,400 km sq (6,720 mi sq), so there are tons of different people. Though the majority of the population is still Chinese, there are a lot of other influences. Unlike Shenyang, where we had a hard time finding food that wasn't Chinese or Korean, we have only eaten a few Chinese meals here in Shanghai. The city certainly doesn't close down at 10pm, especially because it is Chinese Lunar New Year right now. I would say that it is very similar to NYC, but I don't know if there is any added stimulant to bring it to an extreme.

Shanghai - Ben's coworker took us to Qibao ancient street

The foodie side of me really loves that we can have many different kinds of food, but it also misses the great Dongbei Chinese cuisine that we grew to love in Shenyang. (We have not found Shanghai Chinese as appealing). Also, I definitely understand the "feeling alone in a sea of people" better now. While we were in Shenyang, there were many reasons why it was easier to connect with people. Our hotel also had apartments in it which were occupied by long stay guest that we got to know and befriend; Ben was working on a project with many different people who went out together; and there was an English corner and salon were we met many different people, including a great family and a group of female medical students. All of these things combined to give us a community. Our hotel in Shanghai is rather empty right now, Ben is working alone and the only English corner that we know of is currently on hiatus because of the winter/holiday. One positive for Shanghai is that there is an actual church here. We have been going to the service every Sunday and even joined a cell group, which has helped, but the cell group is also on hold for the New Year. It has certainly been hard to not feel like I am living in a world inhabited inside my own mind with the occasional guest appearance of my husband.

With that said, China is a very diverse country, as to be expected with its size and population. We have only been to three cities and they have all been vastly different from one another. Also, you might read this and think that I am hatin', but don't take it like that. We are still having life changing and fun experiences. Life is still life.

I feel like that is more than enough for you to read for now.

Arts Camp - Wk 2

2010-07-06T09:20:00.000-04:00

One of the common, yet unfortunate, things I've heard over the past two weeks has been comments like, "Why are we doing this?", "I feel like I'm in school", "This is lame, I can't think of anything." Those are all comments that are discouraging, especially when you are trying to get a group of youth excited about a project. I knew when we started camp with the idea of doing a film project, if I couldn't get everyone excited about it, it wasn't going to fly. So I had been getting a little nervous about this side of the Arts Camp.

However, Thursday and Friday renewed my hope that all of our efforts might be worth it. Multiple campers have come up to me and asked "When are we starting the film?", "What are we doing for the film?", or "Can I be the sound effects maker? Eeeeack!" This has brought me to a new level of excitement about the film. This week we are on a break before the last three weeks of camp. I am going to be spending this week putting together the different ideas that the campers brainstormed. Hopefully it will become a somewhat cohesive, fun and interesting story. There are definitely a lot of great ideas and as soon as I figure out the story I will be sure to pass it along.

On a slightly different note: I wanted to also give an update on the Couch to 5k and P90X. I haven't been really following the Couch to 5k, mostly because even though I get up rather early, it has still been too hot to even close to want to run outside. The P90X on the other hand has been rocking. It has taken my workouts to another level and I certainly feel stronger and more fit. The good and bad is that it is an hour program. Which makes me feel like I am really working, but also takes an entire hour. Overall, it has been totally worth it.

As far as prayer goes, that I have time and not a writer's block to create a script for the film, at least something we can work from. That all the campers don't forget about camp and come back next week. And, of course, most importantly that we can find true connections with all of them and love them as we are called to and as we all desire to.

Arts Camp - Week 1

2010-06-30T05:56:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone!

This post is another deviation from the "main" purpose of the blog, but not from making a better story.

As most of you know, I am helping out with a Sports and Arts Camp this summer up in Ambridge where I work. I am Arts Camp Director, for more information go to this previous blog post. We started last week and it went, in my opinion, extremely well. I, unlike all the other leaders, do not have any previous experience with Ambridge Sports & Arts Camp (AS&AC). I helped out with a version we did in Peru, but never here in Ambridge.

In many ways it has been much more challenging in Ambridge. In Peru, all of the campers wanted to be there and were happy to do all of the activities. We often had to stop them before they completely finished their portrait, painting, sculpture, etc. In Ambridge, it is a little different. Rather than being excited about everything and willing to do anything, you really need to get the campers into what their doing. You need to be overly excited about the project, so that they can get excited. But the bigger "problem" is that they are done with everything so quickly. Not that they finish everything quickly, but that they get bored with it and want to move onto the next thing.

It really scares me how telling this is of our culture. We all are aware of this trend, always looking for the next big thing. (Small Side Note: What is up with silly bands??? If you don't know what they are, be blessed.)

The campers are incredibly creative, for sure, but I don't think that they have been pushed in their creativity enough. When we arrived in Peru, we were told not to expect the campers to really go for it when it came to free form activities. One would probably do something and then everyone else would copy. Our team found this to be entirely untrue. They all jumped right in. Here in Ambridge, some of the campers do this. They start creating their bead animals. But others want instructions for everything or want you to show them exactly how to do it, like its math. That has been a struggle for me with some of the campers, getting them to let go and create whatever the heck comes into their heads.

This is another thing that scares me. The campers, at least not all of them, don't seem like they know how to just be creative children and teens. How to say crazy and silly things or draw with their wildest imagination. I feel like this could be because of three reasons. 1. I am not prompting them well enough that they are able to be creative. 2. They don't feel comfortable making something, i.e. they are self-conscious, etc. 3. They simply don't know how because they have never had the experience to be free, especially through art.

Those are the two areas Arts camp needs prayer the most. They boil down to figuring out where the campers are personally, and showing them who Jesus is so they can learn the freedom of how to worship him through art. Please also pray for rest, as the camp is terribly exhausting for all of us, and for knowing how to reach the "problem" campers.

The campers are simultaneously a huge blessing and the best birth control. I say that in the most loving way, seriously.

Updates, Updates?

2010-06-08T06:28:00.001-04:00

So, I totally suck. I will take it...I did what most do and posted a bunch and then it just stopped. But I am back with some news, so YAY!

Currently, all things are going well. I have been rather steadily losing weight. I have now lost a bit over 25 pounds, which is great. I definitely feel more energetic. I have gotten to a point now that if I haven't exercised, I don't feel like I have really had a complete day. Which much be better than feeling like I have to exercise and how am I going to do it??

Below are two new things that I have been thinking about lately. Enjoy!

Couch to 5K

Quite a few people I know have done this plan and really like it. I was talking to my friend Jen and she was explaining how it's hard for her to function in the fitness world without a goal. She was saying how weight can fluctuate, but when you run a marathon, you have run a marathon. This is a lot how I have been feeling lately, like I want a goal. So I decided to try out Couch to 5k . I think it will be fun. I really wanted to train for a triathlon, but I don't want to pay for a pool membership, and Ben won't let me swim in the river :(. I plan on doing the running on the recommended 3 days/week and other strength training things the rest of the week. I think it will work out fine and be a nice challenge.

P90X

I am not sure which of you have and have not heard of this series. I recently heard of it from a friend and then wanted to check it out. Here is their website, which is a little informercially. It is a 12 DVD set, which targets different parts of your body or different movements, what they call "muscle confusion". From their website:

"P90X^® is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days."

It is kind of like Couch to 5K, but with DVDs. So I was really interested in this, because it sounded like The Shred on steroids. And who doesn't want to be ripped. Apparently a co-worker of Ben's has some questionable copies of the series that we are going to test out to see if we like it. Our biggest reservation is the emphasis on the "3-Phase Nutrition Plan" and it's assumed reliance on fleshy protein. But we should be able to adjust.

I will try to update everyone on how these two go and, as always, if you are interested in joining me for either of them, feel free.

Ambridge Arts Camp Director

2010-04-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

This is an entry which is a slight departure from the norm, but still very much in the scope of "my story".

I have been offered an amazing opportunity this summer and I want you to be a part of it. You may have noticed that I just posted a few letters about my trip to Lima, Peru this past January. I shared a lot about Ambridge Youth Ignite, an awesome part of Rock The World Youth Mission Alliance where I work as Office Manager and Bookkeeper. Ambridge Youth Ignite (AYI) is a great piece of our organization that really digs into the lives of the local Ambridge youth. I co-lead the Hand drumming class and the weekly high school discipleship group. I was also, as said above, part of the team that went down to Lima, Peru to lead a sports and arts camp for the youth there. After experiencing leading the arts camp in Peru I am coming back and being asked to lead it in Ambridge.

For the past six summers, AYI has been holding a free six-week sports camp for the youth of Ambridge. In 2007, they added an arts camp to make the Ambridge Sports and Arts Camp. Ambridge Sports and Arts Camp is organized so that the youth come in the morning to learn and play a specific sport. Then they receive a free lunch and go to Arts Camp in the afternoon to focus on a certain art. I am really excited to say the least because more than a hundred youth attend these camps every summer and the stories I have heard about Camp are truly inspiring. More than a hundred youth attend these camps every summer, and the stories I have heard about Camp are truly inspiring.

Will you join me in my excitement for this summer’s Ambridge Sports and Arts Camp? Will you partner with me in changing the youth of Ambridge through sports and arts?

Here are 3 ways you can be a part of the camp this summer:

Partner with me and the team through prayer – praying for the youth, the leaders, the town of Ambridge, that the team can meet the youth were they are and meet their needs

Partner with me financially – By committing to be Arts Camp Director, I am cutting my Rock the World office hours in half for the six-week camp. In order to fully engage with the Arts Camp, I need to raise $1150 in support. If you can partner with me this way, send a check made out to Rock The World to PO Box 43, Ambridge, PA 15003 or give online with a credit card at www.rocktheworld.org/donate make sure “AJ ASAC” is in the memo.

Know a young person who could join the camp or someone who would want to be a coach – contact me at annejohnson@rocktheworld.org!

I hope to post information on here while Ambridge Sports and Arts Camp is going on to keep everyone updated on what is happening. So be on the look out coming this June!

Post-Peru Letter

2010-04-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

***This was the letter we sent out to our Peru Trip supporters. It shares some of the experiences from out trip.***

We wanted to send out a quick letter and some pictures to you. Our trip to Peru was truly amazing! God used it to show us how real and life changing missions can be. This trip might just be another step in our transition to full-time foreign missions. The children at San Mateo, the church where we held the camp, were welcoming of all the activities we did. Everything went so well, even better than it has for the past 6 summers they have run it in Ambridge! We just wanted to highlight two things.

First, as we had said in our letter, we led the Arts portion of the camp. When we arrived in Peru we explained what we planned on doing with the kids. The missionaries’ response was very troubling. They said not to expect a lot from the kids in the way of creative expression. Many of them would not have any art in their schooling and if they did it would be limited to sketching. All of the art projects we had planned were rather abstract in nature, mostly giving the children the materials and asking them to create what they wanted. As you can see in the included pictures, the kids had absolutely no problem with any of the projects. They jumped in and created beautiful art projects. We were so proud that they proved the missionaries wrong!

Second, on our last Saturday in Lima we visited San Patricio. The time there meant so much to both of us. We went with Paul and Sarah, two full-time missionaries from England. They have a program once a week at San Patricio for the children. They split them up into two groups, older and younger, and start off by letting them play with toys and games. For many of them this is the only time they get to build with Lego’s or blocks. Then they teach a short Bible program and get a snack. This week was the story of the Good Samaritan. Sarah narrated as some of the children acted out the story. Ben got to play a special role, the donkey! It was truly an honored experience. As Sarah was explaining later, culturally in Peru children are looked down on. Like in many other countries, the adults are above children and rarely get down on their level. The fact that Ben was willing to participate in the play with the children, literally getting on his hands and knees, along with being a man and a foreigner was a powerful image for them. They finish the program with a small craft. This week they had extra children and things were rather stressful. However, we LOVED it and wished we could be there every week. Ben even said, “I envy Paul and Sarah’s pain.”

Those are just two parts of the trip, we hope to talk to you about it more when we see you.

Ambridge Youth Ignite and Rock The World are praying about why everything went so well and if that is sign from God that these camps should be continued in other developing places.

Thank you again for your support of our trip and of the children of Lima!

Peace and Love

***For more Peru stories start here on AYI's blog. It has multiple posts about our trip from during the trip.***

Pre-Peru Letter

2010-04-22T09:41:00.001-04:00

***This was the letter we sent out for our trip to Peru in January***

From Anne: For those you who do not know, I have now been working at Rock The World Youth Mission Alliance for over a year. Rock The World is a Christian youth mission and leadership training organization based in Ambridge, PA. It has been a great year filled with new experiences like learning the inner-workings of a small non-profit, getting involved with the community of Ambridge and realizing that ministry is never 9 to 5.

From Ben: One of the ministries of Rock The World is called Ambridge Youth Ignite (AYI). For six summers AYI has offered a summer sports camp, adding an arts camp for the past three years. It is a free 6-week day camp for the children of Ambridge. This year AYI has expanded their programming into the school year by adding three arts classes: drama, hand drumming and guitar. I co-lead the hand drumming class every week, teaching kids ages 7 to 15 how to play in a drum circle environment. AYI also has girls and boys mentoring groups that meet once a week to connect and disciple middle school and high school students. Anne has been helping to lead the girls group and building relationships with the members of both groups. As you can see we have become somewhat involved with the work AYI is doing in Ambridge.

Part of the AYI Drum Class: Ben, Bethany, Tim, Peter & Mark

From Us: This coming January 2010, Ambridge Youth Ignite is sending a team to Lima, Peru and we have been asked to join them. Our team will work alongside a group of Peruvians to provide a model of the sports and arts camp for the youth who live near San Mateo, a church in Lima. The one week camp will be used as a launching point for a new youth ministry to take shape at San Mateo. While co-leading the camp our team will also be teaching a Rock the World "Intro to Youth Ministry" course. This will be the first time for the Peruvians we are working with to hear about our style of discipleship.

We both felt called to this particular trip because it is unlike many other short-term mission trips where Americans travel to other countries to help with construction projects or vacation Bible schools. Though these are valuable trips, our team will be giving the Peruvians tools and skills that they can then use to help the children long after we have left.

We are writing this letter primarily to let you know what is happening in our lives right now. But we would also love for you to partner with us in this trip, either financially or through prayer. It will cost $2,470 for both of us to go and any amount will help us with our mission. If you desire to partner with us please make checks payable to Rock the World, with "AYI Peru Johnson" in the memo portion and send them to PO Box 43 Ambridge, PA 15003. Also if you would prefer, you can make donations online at www.rocktheworld.org/donate. With your partnership, you are enabling us to give a summer day camp to the youth of Peru and empowering the Peruvian youth leaders to make disciples!

Peace

Sweat Pants Athlete Manifesto

2010-03-17T07:01:00.000-04:00

Hey...I know another post so soon??

Well this one is less work because I didn't actually write it, but I wanted to share it with everyone because it was so encouraging to me.

This is from Jen Keogh, a really good friend and someone I love to geek out with about this stuff:

It's so easy to compare ourselves with others especially in terms of exercising. There are the "real runners" and "real bikers." You know, the ones with aerodynamic spandex and calves that could cut diamonds. The ones who are cover models for Runner's World and exercise in outfits worth more than my rent. And if you're like me, you get passed while running or biking or swimming by one of these athletic gods and you think "Why bother...I'm not a real athlete. I'm just out here trying to get in shape...but I'll never be that shape."

So this manifesto is for us, to remind us no one is perfect and we're all in this race to get healthier together.

The Sweat Pants Manifesto:

We race to finish not to win.

We exercise in t-shirts from high school and sweat pants from Goodwill.

We get passed by moms in spandex pushing stroller's...when we're riding a bike.

We don't use energy bars or protein drinks; we eat ice cream after a run.

We aren't sure what a tempo run is.

We purchase running shoes based on how they feel, what colors they are, and where they were made.

We don't care how long it takes to run a mile but that we ran a little farther and a little faster than before.

We consider dancing alone in our underwear an aerobic routine.

We ride a bike to get from point A to point B. It's efficient exercise.

It doesn't matter how much or how fast we lose weight but that we are a healthier version of us than a year ago.

We've run in the pouring rain, in three feet of snow, in 90 degree heat, and up and down the hills of Pittsburgh--but these things don't make us runners. Choosing to get off the couch and taking our health in our hands makes us athletes.

We workout with friends or at the YMCA, and eat birthday cake at parties.

We shout obscenities at the aerobics instructor on the dvd and at our shins when it hurts to keep going.

Helping someone move is some of the best exercise.

We make up cheers, songs, chants, and crazy stories to encourage ourselves to keep going.

We eat healthy; We exercise so we don't have to all the time.

There are things worth spending some money on: good shoes, a reliable bike, and a bathing suit that is not transparent when wet.

We celebrate the small victories of walking up stairs without getting winded or getting to the end of the workout.

We exercise to be healthy so to enjoy life more, but exercise is not our life.

No matter the age, weight, fitness, equipment, clothes, or distance, we're all on the same path to becoming healthier, and we're all on that path together.

We don't exercise to be better than someone else; we do it to be a better version of ourselves.
---

Feel free to add and share. I want it to be an encouragement for people. It's a way of validating the work we're putting in and the results that come from it, no matter how the work or results compare to others.

Peace,
Jennifer R Keogh

Kari the Dietician

2010-03-11T05:54:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to give a little update about what's been going on. I am not sure how many of you know this, but I didn't. For those of you who have Highmark insurance, you are allowed 7 visits per year with a registered dietician. Those visits are completely free and covered by your insurance.

I took advantage of this coverage a few weeks ago and scheduled an appointment with a dietician, and as the title suggests she was named Kari. She was really cool and really helpful. Below are a few of the things we talked about and some stuff I thought might be helpful to everyone.

Food Advice

1. Veggies - Though Ben and I are vegetarians, after talking to Kari I realized that we weren't quite getting our daily recommended value of veggies. We were getting some but not all. You are supposed to have about 3 cups of veggies a day. In case you don't know about the new cool food pyramid here it is.

2. Proportions - We have all heard that Americans eat insanely big portions, that are unnecessary and unhealthy. But through our discussion, I came up with some helpful stuff. First, we are now using smaller plates, like the salad sized ones. This helps because, clearly, you can't fit as much food on your plate. But it also helps because it doesn't make it seem like you're eating less, it is more visually appealing. Second, no seconds. Her advice for holding to this, don't put the food on the table. Serve yourself in the kitchen and then bring your plate to the table. That way you won't be tempted to have just a bit more because it's right there in front of you. Third, your plate should be about 50% veggies, 25% starch/grains and 25% protein. In the case of casserole or one-pot dishes, the proportions should still have the same representation, just mixed up.

3. Perfection - you don't have to have it! This might have been the first time in this type of situation that I have ever had a doctor, etc. say something like that. It is always encouraging for someone to say you don't have to be perfect, no matter what they are talking about.

Exercise Advice

I had been doing a certain Pilates DVD (Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners) before going to see Kari. It was working well and definitely giving me a work out. She was a little skeptic of a Pilates routine for weight loss, but said that if my heart rate was up and I was sweating, then it was doing its job.

She also suggested some other DVDs, and once I tried some of them I realized how easy Pilates can be. She mentioned that she likes The Biggest Loser workouts, because you can mix and match them. I got the Biggest Loser Workout Vol. 1 and it has been great. There are 4 core routines to choose from, each 20 minutes, and a warm-up and cool down. One of my favorite things is that they use the contestants in the workouts, so it is informal and more real. Vol. 1 is led by Bob Harper, the male trainer, and he is super funny. "Oh man guys I am really feelin' this, I'm up here on this rock." (You'll get it if you watch the DVD).

Anyway, She also suggested Jillian Michaels' non-Biggest Loser DVDs. I was a little weary, the whole reason I got Vol. 1 was because she wasn't on it. With the fear of getting screamed at for an entire workout, I got the 30 Day Shred. I've only had the chance to do level 1, but man it is good. I ended up really liking it and she isn't as much of a jerk as I thought she was going to be. Warning: there are toned fitness helpers in her DVD, kind of a let down. ;)

If you're interested in some of the DVDs they are all at the library. That's how I tried them and now I am planning on purchasing them.

I am also thinking of taking a Zumba class, but I kind of don't want to do it alone. It is supposed to be really awesome and a total sweat-fest, which is kinda what I'm into now. So if anyone would maybe want to do that, they hold classes at the JCC all of my Squirrel Hill friends.

That is all the update I have in me for now. I encourage you to check out some of the info I listed above. I am also more than willing to geek out about nutrition or exercise stuff with anyone who wants to listen.

The Beginning

2010-02-19T05:48:00.001-05:00

This is less about jumping on the Blog-o-sphere wagon and more about me thinking that this might be the best medium for what I am trying to do, so bear with me.

This all started with my discipleship group. For those of you who don't know, I am a co-mentor for a discipleship group run by Ambridge Youth Ignite for girls and guys in high school. We get together once a week and share a meal and do something that has to do with God. Last month we did a joint group where Eric, Director of AYI and other mentor, led a discussion. Eric talked about one of Donald Miller's, author of Blue Like Jazz, etc., new books called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. We read an entry from Miller's blog, "Living a Good Story, an Alternative to New Years Resolutions" that focused on the point of the book. To summarize, we need to live our lives as if we are writing great stories. There are three elements: Want Something, Envision a Climatic Scene, and Create an Inciting Incident. "An inciting incident is the event in a movie that causes upheaval in the protagonist life." Since people don't want to change, they have to be forced to change. So I am volunteering you all to force me to change. Congratulations you are a part of my inciting incident! But what are you inciting me for you might ask? What do I want?

I have gotten to a point in my life where I am rather comfortable in my own skin. I am no longer the insecure, overweight teenager I use to be. Now I am just overweight. I could live my life and be comfortable. But, as you would see if you read Miller, I don't want to be comfortable, I want to be great. Not in the "look at me I am a great person" sort of way, but in the "I am happy to be me because my life has meaning". So I think that the first step in my new life of greatness is getting healthy. What do I want: To be healthy. More specifically I am going to lose 50 pounds before 2011, i.e. 10 months. A quick note: I have not talked to any professionals about this, I don't know if it is a crazy dream to think that this amount is possible over that time period. But I do know the common "it is healthy to lose 2 pounds per week" and 50 is well below. So it might not be that much or it might be more, but the number isn't the point. The point is getting healthy and I need to put a story to that.

My climatic scene? Right now it's this: December 31, 2010 and I am looking back on how far I've come and how much more I can do. In Miller's book, he's going to climb a mountain or something, but I am not quite ready for that. However, I hope to maybe be ready to commit to something like that in the coming months. We will see.

As for now, this is what I am asking: will you help me hold to my story? No you don't have to workout with me, and, though I would love it, you don't have to become a vegetarian. All I am asking is that you read this and know that this is what I am trying. That in itself, I hope, will be enough pressure to hold me to it. As Miller says, "If I don’t, there’s a social consequence. I will let my buddy down, and I’ll also look like an idiot in front of all of you guys. So bringing a friend into the mix, and going public with my ambition serves as an inciting incident."

So there it is, believe me this was hard to write and I know it is going to be even harder to send. I hope to keep updates on this blog, especially for those of you who don't see me a lot. Also, I have thrown around the idea of putting other things on here, beyond the scope of "my story", like recipes and stuff. Lastly, I wanted to encourage you to read Donald Miller's book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years or at the very least the blog entry I linked above. I didn't like Blue Like Jazz all that much and sort of wrote him off, but, thanks to Eric, I am almost done with A Million Miles and I already want to re-read it.

Thank you and I hope you'll join me.

Stories of Greatness

The Great Outdoors - Ebenezers

Diary of A Slogger, issue 6

Writing

Relapse - Part 2

Our New Bi-coastal Lifestyle

Flashback Friday with Heya Sparky!

Primal Apple Crisp

Primal Apple Crisp

Kill Your TV

Relapse

Time

Buddies

Combos

Plan

Fermentation Update

Verdict:

CHICKENS!

The Basics

Baked (Fried) Green Tomatoes

Baked Green Tomatoes

The Great Outdoors - Trekking through the Desert

Camelback Mountain - The Railing of Doom

South Mountain - Just a pile of Rocks

Red Rock - It Doesn't End With Me Getting to the Top of the Mountain

...And we're back.

Small Hiatus

ROTW and ArThursday Poll & Caravaggio

Caravaggio

Snobby Joes

Snobby Joes

The Great Outdoors - Biking, part 2

Map Your Route

Ride With Friends

Ride Often

Some Things That Don't Fit Into Categories

The Great Outdoors - Biking, part 1

Like Your Bike

Have A Local Bike Shop

Thick Bikes

Iron City Bikes

Love Bikes

Ted’s Excellent Bike Repair

Kraynick’s Bike Shop

Free Ride

BikeTek

Slinkachu

Albondigas

Albondigas

Diary of A Slogger, issue 5

Listener

Fermentation

Why Fermented Vegetables Are Important

Why it is important to eat RAW Fermented Foods

Sauerkraut AKA deliciousness in a bottle

Carrot Sticks

Diary of a Slogger, issue 4

No iPod

Push You

Talking

Fun

Chuck Close

Almond Milk Cop Out

CSA

Shares

Cost

Drop-Off/Pick-Up

Farm Tour Day

Local

Family Farms/Co-ops

Decisions

Natasha Wescoat

Mac & Cheez

Mac & Cheez

Prepping the Veggies

Food Processor: The Mother of All Small Appliances

Make It Spicy

Diary of A Slogger, issue 3

The East End Food Co-op

Local