tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077647471592519322024-03-13T07:24:27.325-04:00ST BanterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-27149151617297800312012-01-20T07:04:00.009-05:002012-01-20T07:27:45.170-05:00Final City - Mumbai!Since I have been extremely busy with little time to blog, I wanted to share our course blog written by the students (below). I'm having a hard time loading pictures to this blog as well so I promise to share them somehow when we return.<br /><br />Nutshell - we're in Mumbai until Monday evening when we fly back to the states. This city is awesome. Safe compared to the others, lots of cool buildings, restaurants, bars, shopping, hotels....we are staying in the Vivanta by Taj (formerly known as the Taj President). It's a 5 star hotel and it sure does feel like it! Very, very nice. <br /><br />Ate some delicious Italian/Indian food today for lunch. Head to Raj's parents house in a few hours for dinner. All we've been doing is eating....eating and more eating. Delicious food but a little rich to be eating 2-3 times a day! I have not lost any weight on this trip!<br /><br />India is such a fascinating place. It's really hard to describe the sights, sounds, people, culture and mass chaos that seems to work for everyone. One side of the street is a 5 star hotel and the other side is filled with homeless people under covers begging for food. Seen nothing like it. Mumbai has been the first place in India that the students say "feels familiar"...it's more like a NYC but definitely still 10x more hectic.<br /><br />I have some videos to share once I can upload them.....I hope they will give at least a small indication of the sentiment of this country. Cities and states here are very different. It's like the different cultures of the regions in the US but probably even more so. Different foods, accents, laws, landscapes, etc.<br /><br />Gotta get going but I hope to blog more when we return. Ohhhh, we're visiting a slum tomorrow. Mumbai has 18 million people and about half live in the slums. We saw them when we flew into the airport here.....it was miles and miles and miles of shacks/huts/boards on top of each other, literally up against each other. I am excited to visit but also feel a weird nervousness. We have seen so many sad sights here already without even visiting the slums: people with no legs, deformed body parts, missing body parts, emaciated people, blondness, children and adults covered in dirt and grime. There have been people with legs that look disjointed and you wonder how they can even move. People who look like animals walking on all fours because of deformities. It's sad because we look and then try to look away to avoid them begging our entire group for money. We have learned that if you give one person something there will be numerous others on your trail. It makes me sad because I feel like I haven't had a chance to fully grasp my emotions. I am now thinking about it and it makes my stomach hurt. <br /><br />Phew, okay.... on that note I will leave you with the hope I will blog in more detail about our slum visit tomorrow. I think that will have a lot of impact on the students, at least I hope so. I know India has already had an impact on me. So blessed.<br /><br />Below is our student blog which gives some more details about our excursions to date. We haven't been able to get photos to upload since Dubai. <br /><a href="http://elon2012indogulf.wordpress.com/">http://elon2012indogulf.wordpress.com/</a><br /><br />Namaste,<br />STAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-33994158048981500822012-01-16T08:08:00.003-05:002012-01-16T08:20:31.111-05:00Pictures.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-szhfJ4GV0jM/TxQhtTFSKwI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Bcj3ODio7H8/s1600/Agra%2BJaipur%2B-%2BJanuary%2B14%2Bdownload%2B082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px; height: 240px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698216490630785794" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-szhfJ4GV0jM/TxQhtTFSKwI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Bcj3ODio7H8/s320/Agra%2BJaipur%2B-%2BJanuary%2B14%2Bdownload%2B082.JPG" /></a>Sunset after we rode elephants through the "jungle safari" in Jaipur, India.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-58934601979267700362012-01-13T06:55:00.008-05:002012-01-13T07:39:39.062-05:00Too busy to blog......that's a good thing, right?<br /><br />I am way behind on this blog but wanted to post once more about Dubai since we had some neat excursions and learned a lot along the way. We're in Jaipur, India now. I will get to the India stuff soon I hope!<br /><br /><br />Friday, January 5<br /><br />DUBAI CITY TOUR<br />We started the day with a tour of Dubai including “Old Dubai” where we walked through a souk (market) with spices, trinkets, sandals, and traditional Arab garb. I purchased a beautiful embroidered black dress that an Arabic woman might wear with a nice black head-covering which I learned how to wrap around my head! Luckily our tour guide, Asad, was able to help us negotiate. Also, my colleague Raj was speaking some Arabic and insisting the shops give us a good price because we are students (Yes, I can still pass for a student when I am mixed in with the others!) I paid 90 dirhams ($25) which is a good deal for a quality dress and head-covering. You will notice that I wore it later in the evening for our desert safari. A few of the guys in our group bought white robes and head-coverings as well. A few wore them to the safari at night.<br /><br />Oh, backing up….we took a water taxi to get to the souk. We were only on them for 10 minutes or so but it was pretty darn cool. This reminds me...tipping is not expected at all in Dubai. It might be accepted by some but most won’t expect much at all or may even refuse.<br /><br />We learned that clothes covering the whole body are not “required” for Muslim people; instead, it’s just a traditional Arabic style. Depending on how conservative the person is s/he will wear clothes covering the entire body or some parts of it. It’s mostly a modesty thing not a religious thing. Black is considered the most modest color for women. Those same people will wear westernized clothes at home such as jeans and t-shirts.<br /><br />DESERT SAFARI<br />Our group was picked up at the Golden Sands 10 Hotel around 3 p.m. We split into groups of 7 and rode in SUVs. My group of 7 had a driver named Adil who is from Oman. He told us our SUV was new and the only one in the lot with a V8 engine. It sure felt powerful as we rode up and down the sand dunes. <br /><br />The vehicles caravanned about an hour outside Dubai toward the desert. When we arrived, each vehicle had to deflate the tires to a certain pressure so it could drive on the sand. Alternatively, the tires had to be inflated when we left the sand dunes and drove back to Dubai on the highways. By the way the infrastructure in Dubai is state of the art....getting around the state was easy because it is highly developed, organized, clean, efficient, etc.<br /><br />The ride was a roller-coaster to say the least. It was about 45 minutes of twists, turns, ups, downs, all-arounds! I started to feel a little warm toward the end of the ride and many others got sick. Luckily, we got out a few times to take pictures and breathe a bit.<br /><br />Once we arrived at the entrance of the desert we were dropped off to see a falcon trainer. This guy was pretty cool (aussie or kiwi) ...he held some food on the end of a rope and swung it to get the faclon to fly around and put on a show for us. Pretty cool.<br /><br />Next was more sand dunes and then finally a short camel ride. I definitely almost fell off the camel TWICE. Once when it went to get up and then when it went to sit down and let us off. Very scary but fun! It was literally a 100 yard ride since there were other tourists with our group. <br /><br />Then, we entered a neat little safari area with carpets and pillows to sit and enjoy a beer, some wine and some shishka (sp?) what we call hookah. Dinner was served and the evening ended with a belly dancer and then lights out for star gazing. I felt like I was in a dream being there....so surreal.<br /><br />We also got some henna tattoos (ink)...naturally, I asked for a camel!<br /><br />I was not able to post any pictures (might be my internet connection) but will keep trying because those really tell the tales as well as some video footage I have from my little camera.<br /><br />Unfortunately, that's all I have time to post tonight. Just a snapshot for now.<br /><br />A little something to wet your appetite for the next blog.....<br /><br />One of our students said this today about India: "Just when you think you've seen it all, you see something else that blows your mind!"<br /><br />Lots of love,<br />STAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-57026510534230110802012-01-05T15:41:00.008-05:002012-01-06T13:58:55.362-05:00Sheesh. Where do I begin? Of course, I intended for this blog to be chronological with frequent updates that made lots and lots of sense and had lots and lots of cultural significance. Truth be told I am exhausted! We have had a busy few days since we landed Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm Dubai time. I wanted to send something before another day passed (apologies, it's not the most creative, cohesive post)...just a few thoughts from my two days in Dubai:<br /><br />SIGHTS AND SOUNDS <br />Creative architecture. Spread out like LA, not like NY. Also like LA, people don't walk they drive. Asad made fun of me for asking to run outside. He says "Tourists don't come here to run!" Lots of cars on the road yet no signs of road rage...hardly any honking. Clean. Lots of sand. A few really neat parks with some grass and palm trees. Metro with state of the art automation - zero staff needed to run the actual train. Very clean. There is a fine if you even chew gum on the train. Runs underground and elevated in areas. Taxis all over - surprisingly cheap compared to everything else here. 30 minute ride is approx 40 dirhams (3.65 dirhams to $1) so around $10....we had 7 people in the "cab-van" so you can do the math.<br /><br />PEOPLE<br />Learning about the Middle East from people who live here has left me wondering why I so easily believe pieces of what the media portrays about certain countries or groups of people. The tone, understanding, intellect and tolerance of the people here is unbelievable. Such a peaceful and safe place. Very diverse....a lot of Asian and Indian folks. <br /><br />On a lighter note, I have a crush on our tour guide, Asad. He's a jokester. He is from Dubai but lived in Chicago for 7 years. He is working to earn his master's in business. We had a city tour today and got to see Old Town and bargain for goods at the souk (Arabic for market) <br /><br />FOOD<br />Options here for types of food are anything and everything.<br /><br />Our first night we had some Indian food since it was late and we just walked to a few close places. I definitely experienced a bit of heartburn and stomach indigestion. The food was authentic and a bit spicy. Nothing I couldn't handle but it was a nice precursor to India where I need to take small bites and learn how to say "mild" in Hindi!<br /><br />Lebanese food is delicious here. Also had a mix of traditional Arabic foods today at the desert safari.<br /><br />Had some tangiolini pasta with crab at a really nice restaurant near the Dubai Mall, called Bice Mare. Sous Chef came to our table to finish the dish and serve to those of us who ordered it.<br /><br />There is a grocery store 100 yards from our hotel called Spinneys. Purchased some water...nothing else yet.<br /><br /><br />CULTURAL IDENTITY CRISIS<br />Cab driver called me out when I said I was from America. He motioned around his face and said I was Arab. haha I then explained the Lebanese/Italian heritage. He quizzically looked at me to which I verbally replied "I know you are right, I am not technically American am I. I have Arab blood in me" and we both laughed.<br /><br /><br />So much to write about. Don't know where to begin. The students sum it up nicely when they say "How am I ever going to explain this place to my parents?! You just can't even begin to describe what we are experiencing." Couldn't agree more!<br /><br />Been busy as expected but will try to keep posting.<br /><br />Love to all,<br />SarahAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-59996398522017499512012-01-01T18:49:00.009-05:002012-01-01T20:28:03.007-05:00Elon Winter Term, January 2012Dearest family and friends...<br /><br />I realize my blog has been inactive for almost two years. Time flies. I'm not going to apologize nor am I pursuing a career in blogging anytime soon. I will save that for my adventurous wordsmith of a brother, @bagdaddy (www.bagdaddy.blogspot.com). However, I feel compelled to begin again and maintain posts for the next few weeks at least. <br /><br />WHY? <br />I am about to embark on a three-week study abroad experience to Dubai and India as a co-leader. Our group of 30 will depart January 3rd and return January 24. The course is called "Business and Culture of the Indo-Gulf" and the students will be blogging daily http://elon2012indogulf.wordpress.com/about/<br /><br />5 REASONS TO READ MY BLOG DURING JANUARY:<br /><br />1. Substitute reading my blog for "losing weight" as your new years resolution.<br />2. This is my first overseas excursion. Yes, I am serious.<br />3. Who doesn't want to read stories from a three-week journey with 28 students, one faculty member and me in a country where we shouldn't drink the water?<br />4. Pictures.<br />5. I will turn 29 while riding an elephant in Jaipur.<br /><br />Time Zones<br />Dubai - 9 hours ahead of EST<br />India - 10.5 hours ahead of EST (Perhaps I will figure out why the .5)<br /><br />Basic Itinerary<br /><br />January 3 : Fly to JFK then to Dubai (12 hour flight from JFK to Dubai)<br />January 4-8 : Dubai<br />January 8-24 : India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Mumbai)<br /><br />I am praying my outlet adapter works in India so I can charge my computer and actually post every now and then. Stay tuned and wish me an amazing adventure with many tall and genuine tales.<br /><br />Love always,<br />STAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-65861366687903722822010-03-21T17:46:00.007-04:002010-03-21T20:07:02.021-04:00Half Marathon Training UpdateThis post should be short and sweet. Kinda like my training. The Pittsburgh Half Marathon is exactly 6 weeks away. Funny enough 6 miles is about the farthest I have run in my training (well, not yet but I am about to go run 6 now if I get off the couch and stop blogging.) I have been fighting sinus/allergies which are new to me so I've been sluggish on my runs. I plan to work some fartlek (intervals) and hills into my runs to hopefully give me some strength for the race. The plan is to slowly increase my long runs until I get up to 10 before the race on May 2nd. <br /><br />Thomas Family Running Updates:<br />My sister Leah is running the Pittsburgh Half with me this May. This will be her first half marathon! Her training is going well - I think she's up to 9-10 miles now (kicking my butt.) Plus, she was buried in snow up in DC and couldn't run outside for a while. Good work, Scussy. <br /><br />My older brother Matty, who just turned 29 on St.Patty's day finished the Los Angeles Marathon this morning in just over 3 hours. He has been sick with a virus but still completed the race in a very respectable time. His PR is around 2:50. He volunteers with "Students Run LA" an organization that encourages at-risk students to run and complete a marathon. <a href="http://www.srla.org">www.srla.org </a><br /><br />My younger brother Zummy (<a href="http://bagdaddy.blogspot.com">Z's Blog</a>) is nuts in a good way. He completed his first Ultra Marathon a few weeks ago in 6 hrs and 58 minutes for a first place finish. This was a 50 mile race. Yes, he ran for an entire workday. Think about that tomorrow when you're at your desk. <br /><br />They continue to inspire me with each run...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-4135253908378936902010-03-21T17:33:00.002-04:002010-03-21T17:46:01.340-04:00Night of the PhoenixI work for Elon's Phoenix Club, the fundraising organization within the Athletic department. The past two years, the Phoenix Club has hosted an annual fundraising dinner and silent auction to raise scholarship funds for student-athletes at Elon. This year's "Night of the Phoenix" on February 19th was a huge success with close to $90,000 (net) raised! This is the most we have raised in the event's three year history.
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<br />The formal entertainment for the evening was a gentleman named Giovanni Livera, who is a performer, magician and motivational speaker. I didn't get to see much of his show but I know it included some cool tricks our coaches buzzed about for days after the event.
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<br />Our silent auction included around 170 items open for bidding. Items included everything from a Biscuitville t-shirt to a week long Caribbean Cruise on a private yacht. Oh and not to mention a dinner with yours truly. I made a cool $500 which far surpassed the amount bid on dinner with our head coaches. What can I say?! Priceless.
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<br />February is a frantic month for us in the office. Luckily, we had a great crew of people helping us make the evening memorable for all. Thanks to all who helped and put up with a sleep-deprived Sarah for a few weeks.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-82708738791293638922010-03-21T17:15:00.003-04:002010-03-21T18:05:47.383-04:00Get in the game, SarahNo, not basketball, although I have been consumed by the madness lately just like most college basketball fans. I'm talking about the blogging game. I've been hibernating lately but only concerning my blog, otherwise, I have been up to a lot. I will begin to share retrospectively. <br /><br />Upcoming Stories:<br />*Comma splices in my blog posts (kidding - but see if you can keep track)<br />*Night of the Phoenix<br />*Half Marathon Training Update<br />*Culinary Creations<br />*March Madness <br />*Steve Young and the Economy<br />*Family, Friends, LifeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-71398699145775826202010-02-11T00:28:00.004-05:002010-02-11T00:53:31.821-05:00Curry MmmmmA few folks have requested one of my favorite recipes. This past fall I must've made this recipe a dozen times. Mind you, each time I make it I end up with about 5 days of soup. My body must've loved all of the antioxidants (sweet potatoes are loaded with Beta Carotene and Vitamin C.)<br /><br />Quick Lesson:<br />Free radicals - unstable and dangerous oxygen molecules<br />Antioxidants - "shields" or natural compounds that defend against free radicals<br /> <br />The goal is to have the free radicals attack the antioxidants in your body instead of your healthy cells. This means you have to make sure you're consuming antioxidants in the first place. Hence, curried sweet potato soup...<br /><br /><strong>Curried Sweet Potato Soup</strong><br />Copied from The Survivor's Handbook - The Cancer Porject <br /> <br />2 teaspoons olive oil<br />1 cup chopped onion<br />2 teaspoons curry powder<br />1 cup water<br />4 cups vegetable broth<br />5 cups peeled, cubed sweet potato<br />1.5 cups plan soy yogurt (optional but adds good creaminess - i tried to use <br /> <br />Heat the olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and curry powder and saute for 2 minutes.<br /><br />Add the water, broth and sweet potatoes. Cook for 30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.<br /><br />Place one third of the sweet potato mixture in a blender and process until smooth. Repeat the procedure with the remaining sweet potato mixture in batches. <br /><br />Return the pureed mixture to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in one cup of the yogurt until blended.<br /><br />Top each serving with a tablespoon of the yogurt - garnish with cilantro.<br /><br />I like my soup creamy and mushy so I definitely blend it all the way, but you can leave it chunkier if desired. The first time I made this I tried fat free plain yogurt which did not blend well with the sweet potato mixture. I then tried low fat sour cream and it worked really well. <br /><br />Delicious and nutritious.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-17508469766558655202010-01-29T17:34:00.017-05:002010-02-03T21:24:00.240-05:00Wintry Mix - Weekend Couped UpCollege opens our eyes to all kinds of new people, ideas and experiences. My vocabulary expanded along with my blood vessels. It wasn't until I began college in 2001 that I learned the phrase "Wintry Mix"* You see, in Pittsburgh we had BLIZZARDS. That's right people. Snow so high we jumped from our old maroon and white conversion van into heaping piles. And, school was only closed because it was physically impossible to navigate a bus through 5 feet of snow. <br /><br />I remember racing to high school in a little gray two door Honda something praying I wouldn't slide off the road. At the age of 16 I learned just how to navigate snow covered back roads and remain cautious of black ice. It made me stronger. Somehow I lost all of my bada** northern driver-ness when I became scared to hit the road in the rain. For goodness sake, who am I and where am I from? This is all part of my identity crisis, which I will likely blog about in the near future since this blog may quickly become my therapist. <br /><br />F<strong>ickle NC Weather</strong><br />In one January week we went from 60+ degree weather to a snowstorm with ice and freezing temperatures. Things that make you go hmmmmm... <br /><br />MY EVENTFUL UNEVENTFUL WEEKEND<br />January 29-31<br /><br />Friday<br />Left work around 6 p.m. Stopped at the Food Lion across from my townhome complex. Place was packed with folks loading up on milk, bread and eggs. Sounds like some good french toast. I picked up only the essentials: Herb rub for my pork tenderloin, light vanilla soymilk, roasted almonds and smoked almonds, avocado, rice cakes, apples, yogurt, olive oil on sale, goat cheese, edamame, etc.<br /><br />I love to grocery shop and cook (even when there's a chance of snow.) Who am I kidding - especially when there is a chance of snow. At this point, approx 7:30 p.m., the snow had been falling for about an hour and was slowly beginning to stick. When I arrived home, I parked and unloaded half the groceries. I left the door ajar just a touch because I had to come back to grab the remaining bags. Instead of going back to the same door, I opened another door, unloaded and raced back inside to the warmth. Later that evening, I watched a movie alone since my roomy, Jules, was out of town. Fell asleep on the couch. Woke up around 4:30 a.m. and went upstairs to bed. <br /><br />Saturday<br />Woke around 10 a.m. to the sound of my neighbor shoveling snow. Of course, I knew it was supposed to snow all night but somehow I woke up with no idea what to expect outside. Certainly was not expecting a phone call from my neighbor informing me that my car door was OPEN. My mind suddenly backed up...work, car, snow, people, Food Lion, groceries, door open to come back and get the rest. SHOOT! Not only was my door open, but it had been open ALL night in the midst of a snow storm, or should I say a large accumulation of a Wintry Mix.<br /><br />It's Saturday morning and I'm wearing the same pajama pants and shirt I had on the night before. I quickly throw on a bra and some heavier sweats and head outside to salvage what I can from the back seat of my car. For those who know me, you can imagine how many shoes and pieces of clothing I had resting on the back seat of my car and on the floor. I also expected my car battery to be dead from the dome light being on all night. I kept repeating to myself "idiot" but continued to laugh through it all. <br /><br />After cleaning out the frozen snow which looked like tiny little ice pellets, probably because it was tiny little ice pellets, I went inside to complete my itinerary of doing nothing. Moments later I receive a call from my neighbor, Diesel**. No, my car door was not still ajar. He locked himself out of his house! That's right. After shoveling three driveways in the freezing cold, helping me de-ice my car and chit-chatting with the mailman, he discovered the door from his garage into his house had locked behind him. He had no keys on him whatsoever - just had the clothes on his back, phone and whatever was in the garage. <br /><br />Poor guy. We began just as anyone would. We attempted to break into the door using every part of the swiss army knife, my Harris Teeter mini-VIC card, and our body weight. No luck. Diesel poked, prodded, twisted and turned as much as he could to somehow get the door to budge. I tried some of my magic to no avail. <br /><br />We then began trying to front window. Darn screen was locked in along with the window latch. Next, we trudged in our wet boots through my house to get to the back entrance. The sliding door would be too much to handle because the latch clings to the hook securely. Beast. Back windows were not an option either. <br /><br />I felt useless. Until...I found a longer flathead screw driver in one of our kitchen drawers (yes, for some reason that is where we keep it.) With a new tool in hand, he made his way back to his already torn up garage entrance. In the meantime, I found a few locksmiths on the internet and called one just to see if they'd answer. Just as I began speaking with the nice lady who answered the emergency line, I heard someone beeping in. Diesel got in!! <br /><br />Crazy. What should have been a lazy snowed-in Saturday became a 2 hour tutorial on breaking and entering. <br /><br />SUNDAY<br />Woke up planning to attend church. Checked a few websites and finally called to see if it was cancelled. Sure enough, no services. I was free to begin making my whole-wheat pancakes with crushed walnut pieces. This time I added a few crasins to one 'cake. <br /><br /><br />*Wintry Mix - generally refers to a mixture of freezing rain, ice pellets, and snow (wikipedia) I'm sure the meteorologists in Pittsburgh used this but I usually remember terms such as rain, snow, sleet, hail, ice, blizzard, storm, etc. Still it makes me laugh when I hear it. It sounds like an elementary school teacher is teaching her 2nd graders about weather and overuses the term "wintry mix."<br /><br />** Diesel is his nickname- he's our next door neighbor - literally attached to us. I won't disclose his real name, which is fine because to me he is and always will be Diesel. When he moved in, Jules and I noticed the license plate on his truck that read "DIESEL". Diesel happens to be a pretty fit, muscular guy...go figure.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-42440144137955716022010-01-26T22:26:00.007-05:002010-02-01T23:39:20.516-05:00Pittsburgh Half Marathon x 2I was born and raised outside of Pittsburgh, PA. My parents are still there while my siblings and I are scattered throughout the country. My younger sister Leah graduated from college May 2, 2009. The whole family was back in town which was such a treat. I really value when the four of us siblings are together again. To celebrate the family reunion and graduation, I decided to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon on May 3rd, the day after her graduation ceremony. Okay, it just so happened to work out that I would be home the weekend of the race. Good planning for once, ST. Plus, I wanted to showcase my stellar running abilities for my two brothers who are truly stellar runners. <br /><br />The race was cool. Crossing multiple bridges while panting and waving to un-sweaty strangers lining Smallman Street, where the race began, was just what I needed to feel accomplished in life. I finished in 1:53 (I think) which was a PR for me. I do remember my calves burning way too early and my arch hurting for a good few miles before it just went away (Thank God.) The race was very well organized and the race packet was full of all kinds of goodies. Not to mention, the running Expo was phenominal; there were so many running stores and vendors with great sales! <br /><br />So...I decided to sign up and make my way back to da Burgh. I completed the online registration form which represented a loss of any free time the next three months and 65 bones. It's worth getting me off the couch/out of my bed earlier <br /><br />www.pittsburghmarathon.com<br /><br />My memory is foggy on dates...<br />Pretty sure I ran my first half marathon in April 2007 with Kaylea and Eric* (Charlotte Racefest) and then did the City of Oaks Raleigh Half in November 2008 with Elly. The Pittsburgh half last year marked my third race. Now. I'm ready for #4. <br /><br />I started "training" today (3 miler on treadmill 10 min/mile pace with 2.0 incline... it felt like 13.1) I put the word training in quotes because I tend to sort of/kind of train for these things, which to me is like fake training. This year, however, I want to get some good miles in so the race isn't painful and I can accomplish another PR. I'll have to consult with my little bro who just finished the Phoenix Half Marathon in under 1 hour 10 minutes. Crazy fast. Well done, Z. Check out his post at bagdaddy.blogspot.com<br /><br />Stay tuned for my training updates. Elly might even come to Pittsburgh with me to run the FULL marathon! She's such a baller (and much more disciplined than me in all facets.) <br /><br />*Kaylea and Eric - My good friends whom I met while student-teaching. Kaylea was teaching and coaching soccer and Eric was teaching and coaching as well. I was the maid of honor in their wedding June 2008. They now have twin baby girls!! Kaylea and Eric are curently training for a half. If the newlywed parents of twins can find time to run, I sure as heck better be able to.<br /><br />Here's to lots of mileage in February...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-58203099783536953612010-01-24T21:38:00.005-05:002010-01-27T09:56:46.207-05:00Homemade RavioliI love my family. I received a pasta maker for Christmas this past year. Mom and Dad wholeheartedly support my cooking habit.<br /><br />LAST NIGHT AT HOME WITH ELLY* AND JULIE^:<br /><br />After throwing some diced tomatoes, sauce and paste in the slow cooker with ground turkey (93/7) I decided to put my pasta maker to work. To date, I have made homemade ravioli (dough and filling) 3 times. Each time presented new challenges yet each attempt yielded something quite delicious. Tonight was no different. I began making the dough while Julie and Elly watched with awe-inspired eyes. Els clearly thinks I need my own cooking show because somehow floating around the island with flour all over my hands, saying things like ...(see below)... makes me a future Rachel Ray. <br /><br />"Now I'm gonna step over here and gently place the 'egg wash' on the dough. This helps it stick together a bit better. It's important to seal all sides of the ravioli. Now, if I had more time, I would ..."<br /><br />The recipe I used actually came from the pasta maker instruction/recipe book. I made the dough the traditional way this time. The past few times I made the dough I used olive oil and water. This time the recipe looked like this:<br /><br />DOUGH<br />2 1/2 Cups Flour<br />3 Eggs<br /><br />RICOTTA FILLING (You can put whatever you want in your ravioli - try something new!)<br />1 cup Ricotta Cheese<br />1 Egg<br />Additional cheese - I threw in some grated parmesean<br />Spices as desired - Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper<br /><br />I also added spinach (learned that I need to at least wilt the spinach leaves before adding to filling - Thanks Jodi) To wilt- simply place leaves in hot water until softened. I did not pat them dry before adding to mixture but I will next time because the water made it more runny than I would've liked!<br /><br /><br />1. Place flour in mixing bowl creating a well in the center. Place the eggs in the well and begin to blend the flour with the eggs. If sticky, add flour. If dry and crumbly, add a bit of water. I used a fork. Blend until there is an even consistency - knead with hands. Let dough sit for at least 10-15 minutes under damp towel to allow ingredients to blend. <br /><br />2. Make ricotta filling by blending all ingredients and place in refridgerator until the dough has been rolled.<br /><br />3. When the dough is ready, begin rolling through the pasta maker or with a rolling pin until very thin. I do not have a ravioli maker attachment so I just grease a cookie sheet and lay out the dough. Brush the dough with egg wash (egg and bit of water) to help it stick (See quote above.) <br /><br />4. Drop a few dollops of filling on the dough about an inch apart and then cover with another piece of dough or roll over one side of the piece I am working with. Gently press the sides with a fork to seal the ravioli.<br /><br />5. Let the ravioli sit for a bit to dry. They become very difficult to work with without breaking them open. Cut them into squares so they are now individual pieces.<br /><br />6. Boil a pot of water. Throw in the ravioli. When they rise to the top of the pot, they are done. Because they are homemdae they take under 3 minutes when you pop them in. Just be ready to take them out quickly and experiment with cooking times.<br /><br />Warning - these thingys look like little aliens or something. No, ameobas. At least, mine do. And they have each of the 4 times I have made them! Can you tell I just want to eat and don't care much for asthetics at this point?!<br /><br /><br />*Elly - May also be referred to as Young Eleanor Shearman, Els, Smelly, Sous Chef in future posts. Elly and I work together. Perhaps I shouldn't disclose this information; we've been known to wander around the office chatting with innocent co-workers who quickly become guilty by association. There's just always jestering to be done, especially during the 9-5.<br /><br />^Julie - Also known as Jules or Roomy. You guessed it, I live with Julie. She has a beautiful house that I love to live in. I take over the front foyer with bags that should've been unpacked weeks earlier and make messes in the kitchen. I do clean the dishes after making a masterpiece. Julie and I met while coaching. She coaches full time which is why she's my coaching mentor - always with the best soccer training advice.<br /><br />Phew this blogging is almost as exhausting as making homemade ravs. I am sure I forgot something in all of this. Forgive me - I am a novice at this point. Pictures to come.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-507764747159251932.post-30371276014341902892010-01-24T15:50:00.000-05:002010-01-24T22:05:05.421-05:00Here we go...Welcome to ST Banter. <br /><br />A place where stories, people, recipes, travel, adventures, thoughts, questions and jestering will be shared. I love the idea of an online journal for all to see. I hope my close friends and family enjoy this little glimpse into the world of ST. Although vanilla at times, there are always a few sprinkles to make things just a touch more colorful (and tasty!)<br /><br />Oh, and a shout out to my little bro Zummy ("Bagdaddy") and friend Erwin ("Cheerstothetinythings") for inspiring me to start blogging.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955484754941217029noreply@blogger.com0