Monday, August 31, 2009
Check out DeskCam. I got new specs! My optometrist emailed last week to let me know I was due for a checkup, so the Snook and I both went in on Saturday. Turns out my left eye (which was already worse than my right) has gotten a little fuzzier yet. I'm not quite into double digits yet, but it's getting there. So the Snook and I picked out some super cute, oval-shaped, thin wire frames. Dr. Alex took one look at them and shook his head. "You can't do it," he said. "Not with the thickness of your lenses." CRAP. Curse my myopia! So we had to pick out big ol' plastic frames. I decided that if I was going to be nerd, then I might as well go full on Poindexter. These look very similar to my old ones; just that they're brown instead of black and the lenses are slightly larger. Right now I'm in that weird phase where the ground is shifting and I feel like I'm gonna puke.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Oh, and I brought up the race, which is three weeks from today. "You're not doing it," she said flatly. "You knew I was going to say that, right? Even if you did do it, you know you wouldn't do very well." (She was blunt but honest.) So I'm faxing in my withdrawal form tomorrow. That kinda sucks. But to be honest it's also a little bit of a relief. Now I don't have to worry about how I'm going to get healthy and somehow prepare to run 20km in twenty days. She also gave me a prescription for a big-ass bottle of codeine so at least I'll be able to sleep this week. I'll keep you all posted as to the diagnosis. Saturday, August 29, 2009
I'm not getting better. The cough that started eleven days ago is still here, and it's even worse. I have to take codeine every night in order to sleep (and I wake up and start coughing the second it wears off). My neck and shoulders have been sore all week from the coughing, so I've had a persistent tension headache too. My voice quality has varied from almost normal to nearly gone. I'm currently running a slight fever. Oh, and I'm 2/3 of the way through the antiobiotics my doctor prescribed, and they're clearly not helping. I'm miserable. I've got an appointment to see another doctor tomorrow. I could have walking pneumonia. I could have swine flu. Who the hell knows. Each day this goes on, I can feel the chances of me actually running the half-marathon in three weeks slipping away. Edited to add: I've also just been reminded that NSW is currently having a whooping cough epidemic. "Adults often just have an ongoing cough without the whoop." Great.
Friday, August 28, 2009
I still feel like crap, but dammit, I wanted to try out my new shoes yesterday. So I headed out to the Domain for a very, very easy run. You're meant to ease into forefoot running because it uses different muscles than a traditional heel strike. I did three intervals of 5 minutes running followed by 5 minutes walking, and I concentrated hard on my form. The "actuator lugs" are a little weird at first. (I was reminded of those special shoes people use to increase their vertical leap.) I tried to lean forward a bit, to increase my cadence, and to run lightly as if I was barefoot. The Newtons really do make you more aware of and connected to the ground surface. I don't think I was using more effort than I usually do, but my speed graph shows I was going a fair bit faster than my usual plodding speed. Here's the cheesy bit: I actually felt like I was RUNNING. Yeah, I've said for years that running isn't about speed, but the truth of it is that when I'm on the road, I never feel as effortless and athletic as the people that pass me. But by avoiding heel striking, suddenly I felt like a fleet-footed Olympian... for a few seconds. I figured out pretty quickly why they said to start off easy. My lower legs got TIRED. The last of my intervals was a big drop-off from the first as I struggled to maintain proper form while my calves and ankles were aching. With every step, I could feel the force of impact being absorbed through the muscles in my bent legs rather than shooting up into my back. (My usual lower back pain? Didn't bother me a bit.) Today I've got some soreness in my lower legs on up through the lower part of my thighs, but I expected that. I checked out the bottom of my Newtons and was gratified to see some wear on the actuator lugs. It looks like I was landing in the right spot! (There's a tiny bit of wear on the outside of each heel, but I think that was probably from walking since I tend to do that in all my shoes.) I'll probably alternate shoes/styles for the next few weeks. I wonder if I'll be strong-enough to use forefoot running in the half-marathon? I've still got just over three weeks to go... Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I've just been told that this year's Food for the Future Fair will take place on Saturday, 24 October. I'll post more info as it gets closer, but so far it sounds like it's going to be a great day: local & sustainable food, launch of the Chippendale Fresh Food Coop, tours of the area, fresh produce available for purchase, Michael's ideas for urban farming, entertainment... I've even floated the idea of the Inner City Guild group having a stall to teach folks to knit!
Update: On second thoughts, I think I still like having my list open in another tab. I turned off the gadget.
This week: 5.25km (3mi) Last week: 20km (12.5mi) HOWEVER - things are looking up. I feel like I've turned a corner today, and I'm not coughing nearly as much. I've been thinking about running form, and specifically whether forefoot running would help with the persistent back pain I've been having. Brandon is a big proponent, and Steve Runner is a recent convert. Brandon is always raving about his Newton shoes, which promote landing on your forefoot. On a whim, I looked them up and saw that there were a few retailers in Sydney. So I emailed HERT and Mark told me to come on in and check them out. I went over at lunchtime to try some on. He was clearing out last year's models, so they were $60 off. What the hell. I decided to go for it. So I am now the proud owner of some very ugly shoes. I'm hoping to try them out tomorrow for a very short run around the neighbourhood. (I know you really have to ease into the forefoot technique.) I'm excited to see if it helps at all!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
I'm thrilled to announce that the side project I've been working on has finally launched! Ladies and gentlemen... Candi.com.au. Candi is a jewellery designer here in Sydney, and she creates beautiful, whimsical, PRETTY shiny things! I implemented her new site for her, and she's going to design some wedding rings for us. (Yes, the Snook and I will finally have rings, hopefully just in time for our fifth wedding anniversary.) Anyway, please check out her site the next time you're in the mood for a pretty sparkly...
Steph and Eva's party at Kam Fook was unbelievable. There were well over a hundred people there, and somehow we were seated at the central table next to the wedding party. That's where all of our friends were, so it was just perfect. Eva's decorations were beautiful! We had champagne and wine while we listened to speeches from the families. (Interestingly, one of Eva's relatives stood on stage and translated into Cantonese for the non-English speakers. She then came over and translated Eva's Dad's speech into English for us.) Everyone took pictures as Steph and Eva cut the cake, and we laughed as they had to play the usual embarrassing reception games before everyone. And the food... THE FOOD! We were having THIRTEEN COURSES of the most amazing food! First was suckling pig, which is apparently a Chinese wedding tradition. We each got a couple pieces of beautiful crackling along with the succulent meat. Then there was a beautiful deep fried seafood fritter, served with mayonnaise. I loved that one. They just kept coming. Silky sweet crab meat with asparagus... abalone with mushroom... coral trout... lobster... shark fin soup! I ate it all, and it was all so, so good. Eventually the night wound to a close and we staggered off to catch a cab home. What a great party. Thank you, Steph and Eva, for sharing your special day with all of us!  Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, you'll recall, I was sick and stayed home. I'm back on my feet, but I have an awful hacking cough that bodes ill for my last month of training. My doctor (who coincidentally has the same bug) prescribed rest. Ha. Friday I dragged myself back in to work to finish some things off for the week. At lunchtime I met up with Miss Fee for our long-awaited visit to the Tom Foster Community Centre. Our Guild group was contacted many weeks ago by Megan the organiser there who thought some of the seniors might like to meet some young knitters. So we brought them a load of donated wool, needles, and magazines, and we ended up having a great visit. Here's Fiona showing off a pic of her knitted wedding dress to Megan and some of the group.  Then it was back to work for the rest of the afternoon. At six I caught a bus to Circular Quay to meet the Snook and the in-laws for dinner at Selah. (Ma Snook's in town to attend the Fifties Fair.) The restaurant was really good, and we had a great time catching up with Rodd's sister Jeannie, her partner Chris, and our nephew Kurt. Saturday morning we met up with everybody again at the Eveleigh Markets. Breakfast was coffee and "Crooked Madams" from the Bird Cow Fish stall. We ran into Miss Fee and the Sock Victim doing their weekly shop. (The Inner West is sometimes a very small place.) We bought a beautiful bit of pork belly which the Snook stuffed and roasted for dinner that night. Yum.  Finally, today was Steph and Eva's big day. We drove the GoGet car out to Carisbrook House in Lane Cove. You couldn't ask for better weather for a wedding - sunny and gorgeous. The ceremony took place in a small courtyard, with all of the family and friends gathered around the wedding party. Steph and Eve were both radiant. We were thrilled to be able to share their special day with them, and we blew bubbles to cheer them at the end.  Now we're back at home, having a brief rest before heading to Chatswood for the wedding feast and reception. Oh, and when I haven't been running around town, I've been trying to finish off a website I'm doing for someone. Busy busy busy! Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
I've been a little absent this week, haven't I? It's been a busy one. I had a couple days at work there where I was hoppin', and I've been working on a website for a friend at night too. Yeah, burning the candle at both ends. Unfortunately it seems to have caught up with me... I've caught another blasted cold. I stayed home today to rest and tonight my doctor told me NOT to run for the rest of the week. (Crap. We're only 4.5 weeks out from the half-marathon.) And I'm supposed to visit the old folks' home tomorrow with the Guild. And we're going out to dinner with my in-laws. Yeah. Busy.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
This week: 20km (12.5mi) Last week: 24.9km (15.5mi) My lower back is still killing me when I run though. I think I need to go to the physio again.
 It's Cupcake Day for the RSPCA today, and I went all out. This was my inspiration, and I'd say they come pretty close! Tips for future googlers: I made plain vanilla cupcakes from a box mix. It's helpful if you can fill the liners higher than usual; that way you get a nice rounded dome on top. The icing is just pre-made Betty Crocker vanilla, dyed to a brilliant sky blue with food colouring we got at Iced Affair. We also used the colouring to dye a bag of dessicated coconut the same colour. (Snookums put it in a big bag, added some drops of colour, and shook it all around.) So I iced the cupcakes and then sprinkled coconut all over. Then the tricky bit. I tried just cutting a slit and sticking the cookie in, but that didn't work very well. So I started using a sharp knife to cut a smile-shaped wedge out of the top. I also used the knife to trim the sides of each cookie into a point (so I wasn't ramming as much bulk down into the cupcake). That worked better. The eyes are made from large white chocolate buttons with a small chocolate chip stuck on. I used the knife to cut slits and then stuck the eyes down inside. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get 24 of these to work! Update: I sold out! Everybody loved them. So far I've taken in $78 in donations for the RSPCA. Not bad for a few hours' playing in the kitchen... Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
 Baby Cardigan and Tasman Summer TunicI finally finished off a couple lingering kids' projects that I was working on. The first is a cardigan for my friend Venks's new baby. The boy is named Vivaan and he was born about two weeks ago. The wool is Wired for Fibre's "Elizabeth" sock wool in colour Serenity. The pattern is free and is knitted sideways (cuff-to-cuff). I got some adorable teddy bear buttons from the button shop in the Rocks last Saturday to finish it. I can't wait to see it on Vivaan!  Next is the Tasman Summer Tunic for my niece Indie. The pattern is by Just Jussi and is available as a free Ravelry download. I knitted the smallest size and used three balls of Morris Paddington (80% bamboo, 20% merino) in colour #611 "Dover". I left off the beads at the hem, but other than that I didn't change anything. The ribbon at the front is very cute, and I found a pretty star button to use as the closure at the back. I hope it fits her!Tuesday, August 11, 2009
This week: 24.9km (15.5mi) Last week: 17.8km (11mi) Sunday, August 9, 2009
 City2Surf 2009Today was the day of my fourth running of the 14km City2Surf... and my first without the Snook! He said that our run last year "nearly killed him," and he hadn't done any training this year. So I was on my own. (Technically there were three guys from my company running, including my buddy Paul here that I met up with afterwards.) I headed over to the Blue start on College Street this morning at 9am, knowing that it would take ages to get started. The crowd was a record 75,000 runners, and the weather was gorgeous and sunny. I told myself over and over that this was just a training run, that I wasn't going for any specific time. I set RunKeeper to intervals of 5:00 running and 1:00 walking. Our group finally crossed the starting line at 9:28am. We were off!            Read on for the rest of the story... [more...]
We had another highly successful and FUN Inner City Guild meeting yesterday. Three more people signed up, which officially puts us at 51 financial members. That's crazy! We have to be getting close to the biggest group. We've decided to make our "Learn to Knit" workshops a regular monthly occurrence, and I'm thrilled that RoseRed has put up her hand as Workshop Coordinator. Things are going really well... Friday, August 7, 2009
   
The new highly-anticipated (by me, anyway) release of RunKeeper finally got approved yesterday. It's got some nice improvements with real-time mapping and iPod playlist integration, but the killer feature for me is the ability to take photos and have them geotagged along the route. I thought it would be super cool to do it on Sunday during each of my walk breaks along the City2Surf. So I went out for a run this morning just to test it out. (The photos don't come up on the embedded map; you'll have to click through to the RunKeeper site to see them.) I did notice some weirdness at first, mostly regarding the pace calculation and voice feedback. (My pace showed up as 0 for the first 10 minutes or so.) The time and distance were correct though, so I wasn't too worried about the pace (which eventually came good). Posting a "status" message is pretty easy, akin to sending a tweet really. There's a word balloon that you type in, and you can click the little photo icon to take a picture. I only had two problems with it. First, as you might expect it's not easy to type a message on a touchscreen keyboard while you're running down the street (or god forbid, riding a bike). You can hit the photo button relatively easily, but to actually add a caption you have to be walking (or stopped completely). The second problem (which compounds the first) is the iPhone's spell correction doesn't seem to work on the status updates. So while I think it's really neat functionality, it's hard to actually use it when you want to be using it. That said, it's still super cool to see your photos along the route. Did you see that last one of me? I'd just done six speed intervals and I was pretty wrecked. I'm really looking forward to Sunday... Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
This week: 17.8km (11mi) Last week: 28.8km (18mi) Sunday, August 2, 2009
I've been looking forward to this race for a year now. I was supposed to run it last year with three guys from work, but a surprise business trip to L.A. made me miss it. No way was I going to miss out this time. So Stef, Tim, Shane, and I signed up early and gave ourselves a silly name: "Barry and the Apples." The race is 7km (about 4.5mi) around Iron Cove, and it's been getting more popular every year. They have separate events for runners, walkers, kids, and even dogs. Race Day dawned beautiful and clear and sunny, and Snookums came along for moral support. The guys took off first, and then the girls left 15 minutes later. I was apprehensive. I told the Snook that in an ideal scenario, I'd average 7:00/km and finish in less than 50 minutes... but realistically I figured I'd do closer to 55. I started out slow. The first half of the race had the only hills, as we climbed up to Iron Cove Bridge and ran along Victoria Road. Once we got back to the water's edge and the course flattened, I deliberately started to push myself. I'd lost Stef in the initial crush, but at the halfway point I spotted her 100m ahead. I tried my best to catch her, but she was setting a good pace. Soon the first of the dog runners was passing us. I skipped the sole water stop. Lots of people were taking walk breaks, but I told myself that at the very least I'd meet my secondary goal of running the whole thing without stopping. At the 6km sign, RunKeeper told me that 40min had elapsed. I suddenly realised that I was going to do it. Even if I had to walk that last kilometer, I knew I could do it in ten minutes. My back was starting to hurt bad at this point, and I had a stitch in my side. But I kept going. I could still see Stef, tantalizingly close. I pushed. Suddenly the finish line was looming and then we were done. I barely had time to hit Stop on RunKeeper and notice that my time was under 49min before a nice woman was hauling me out of the crowd to remove my timing chip. I turned around to see the Snook taking my picture. "I did it!" Turns out we all did it. My final time was 48:38; Stef finished about a minute ahead of me; and the boys were each more than ten minutes ahead of that. We posed for one last group shot and then headed off for breakfasts and showers.  Of course, the really funny bit is that I just logged on to check the results... and there's "Barry and the Apples" as the #1 Team in the competition! I nearly fell over laughing. If you look at the results spreadsheet it's clear that they've mistakenly given our team name to the actual winners. But still, now, for the moment, Barry and the Apples are the big winners of the Bay Run 2009.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful little tree. Then some horrible, no-good, very-bad person stole it. And the people who planted the tree were sad, and they thought that maybe the world didn't deserve nice trees. But the bare patch on the street was so depressing that they decided to try again. So the strong man dug a hole, and the woman filled it with rich earth and worms from her garden... [more...]
Saturday, August 1, 2009
For the Snook's birthday on Thursday, I'd booked us a table at Mad Cow at the Ivy. They have a special Winter Feast offer on right now, and the Snook thought it sounded interesting. (He liked that the menu was divided into two parts: "The Cow," and "Not the Cow.") Our first challenge was just finding the place. The Ivy is a large, dimly-lit complex of bars and restaurants packed with beautiful people and no signage. Seriously, WE COULDN'T FIND THE RESTAURANT. Eventually I flagged down a bartender and sheepishly asked where to go. He laughed; apparently this is not a rare occurrence. We were on the wrong level entirely. Eventually we found the place and got our table. The decor was... interesting. The whole white-and-yellow theme was like straight out of the 80's. The manscaped waitstaff were all trendily dressed-down in jeans and sneakers. They did win points by asking the Snook which gin he'd like for his martini, and whether he'd prefer a twist or olives. We made our identical orders: "3 freshly shucked rock oysters, ginger rice wine dressing, ocean trout roe, chives" to start; "rangers valley wagyu flank steak, spicy barbeque sauce" for the main; and "single selection of local or imported cheese, gala apple, walnut bread" for dessert. The Snook had red wine; I had a James Squire Amber Ale. The food was all excellent. The oysters were beautifully fresh without too much accompaniment. The steak (which attracted a $5 supplementary fee) was a massive "tri-tip" the size of a man's fist. (We took the waiter's advice and ordered a side of roast potatoes to go with it.) I'd ordered medium-rare, and it was suitably bloody in the very middle. We chose a blue cheese and a goat's cheese for our dessert plate, and we enjoyed both. The sommelier (who had a truly formidable mustache) helped me pick out an interesting port to go with it. The place was packed by the time we left, and we carefully threaded our way through the beautiful people to get out and go home. Overall, if you can overlook the 80's wankery then I'd definitely recommend getting in while the Winter Feast promotion is on. The food was good, and you can't beat three courses plus a drink for $50. Just be sure to dress nice and try not to look too confused when you're wandering around trying to find the right restaurant... |
|
archives
You can search through the archives by post keyword using the form on the left, or you can browse by month using the links at the bottom.
"Moblog" refers to posts and images posted directly from my mobile phone.
"PW Blog" refers to posts recovered from my very first weblog, which dealt with news related to my college dorm. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Created and maintained by Kristine Howard ©2000-2010.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
