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April 6th, 2008
09:48 am
went for a beautiful, windy, chilly, hilly 50-mile ride yesterday, bringing my total mileage since the first ride of the season, on march 2, to 234. the google terrain map of yesterday's route looks like a piece of crumpled paper that someone has half-heartedly attempted to flatten back out. really!
afterwards i was craving Chipotle to such a degree i drove all over livermore, a town with which i am not at all familiar, trying to find one. no luck. i need to either a) get an internet-enabled phone or b) map out all Chipotle locations with a 10-mile radius of bikeride start/end-points before leaving the house in the morning.
instead, i boiled up some shrimp with a healthy dose of old bay, and some edamame with a sprinkling of kosher salt, and 'homemade' cocktail sauce (actually just unsweetened ketchup from whole foods, mixed with a little horseradish.) yum!
went to mezzanine last night to see Autechre. i hate mezzanine because typically the headliner doesn't even start playing until after midnight, and i am old and can't hang with these young whippersnappers any more. oh and the 50 mile bike ride earlier in the day. BUT, i couldn't really complain when my friend picked me up for the show in a 1962 buick skylark. (except his is black). seriously, i'm going to steal that car from him, it is beautiful.
the show was great, their stuff is tending towards the slightly more danceable these days, it seems. they left the lights off the whole time so i was always in this state of expectation.. you know, the lights go off before the headliner comes on, and the crowd gets all excited? well it was like that for their whole set. who knows, maybe they weren't even there and some sound guy just "pressed play". regardless, i had a great time despite presence of the ex.
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March 30th, 2008
12:10 pm - dammit!
favorite cycling sock, lost behind washing machine.
mop handle used in sock-rescue attempt, also now behind washing machine.
dammit!
in other news, i weigh more today than i have in like two months. lame! it is obvious that i simply cannot drink beer or eat anything off-diet more than once a week without starting to gain weight. even with cycling and walking around the lake, this appears to be true. (granted, i have only ridden the bike twice in the last two weeks, but it's more than nothing.) sigh.
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March 18th, 2008
09:20 am
mainly i am annoyed with myself. the actions of others are incidental and only have an impact on my sense of self-worth if i let them. there are so many people in my life who affect me in a good way, and it is counterproductive to focus so much on the bad. i will work on this - try to concentrate as much (or more) on the good things in life/body/mind as the bad. all part of the whole, blah blah blah psychobabble.
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08:49 am
so very annoyed with myself, others.
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March 15th, 2008
04:25 pm - slightly better-for-you banana bread
today i woke up with a stupid hangover, a stupid lack of motivation to exercise, cursing the stupid weatherman who told me it was going to rain today, and a strong desire to bake.
i don't care that bananas are off-limits diet-wise, a girl's gotta have some potassium. i had found this banana bread recipe and decided to turn it into "slightly better-for-you banana bread."
so i replaced the 1/3 c. butter with 1/4 c. olive oil; the 1 c. sugar with 1/2 c. splenda for baking (which is half sugar, half splenda); the 1.5 c. all-purpose flour with a slightly smaller amount of whole wheat. and YUM! i think if i didn't know all those changes had been made, i might not even know it. i can taste the splenda a little bit, and the bread is denser than it would have been, but it is really delicious and, well, better for you. (and by you i mean me, since i am the one eating it.)
just re-read this. "i think if i didn't know all those changes had been made, i might not even know it." haha, wow, i'm brilliant.
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March 11th, 2008
09:32 pm
the reason i ask is that i am currently netflixing my way through early seasons of ER. last night i finished season 5, disc 3. there is an episode where dr. romano shows up for surgery fresh from tying one on at the surgeons' xmas banquet or something. dr. benton ends up body checking him (you know, to keep the hands sterile) and he falls into the crash cart. i think that may have been the shark-jumping moment for me. this season also introduces dr. lee, who has just begun to go psycho and stalk dr. green, raiding his locker and wearing his clothes while home alone. the shark, jumped.
clooney is still around, green is still alive, but i really feel like george saw what was happening and got out - wisely. (season 5 is his last). not saying any further episodes aren't good, but i think this is the beginning. sigh.
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March 10th, 2008
10:30 pm
so give me your opinion:
when did ER jump the shark?
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08:12 pm
just heard that my cycling clubmate has a fractured pelvis. she's home and recovering and it sounds like surgery will not be necessary, which is a huge relief. another cyclist was hit and severely injured in SF today. i guess this sort of thing happens all the time, but it does not make it any less scary. sounds like the cop who killed the two riders yesterday may have fallen asleep at the wheel. you just never know. :/
makes you think though.. better to die young, or old and incontinent and in pain? i wish we could choose. i'd choose to die peacefully in my sleep just as soon as i am no longer able to care for myself and threaten to become an undignified burden to my family and friends. wouldn't we all?
in much more trivial news, i thought i'd post about the fact that until recently, i have not worn or owned a pair of jeans probably since college. late last year, on a whim, i bought a pair which turned out to be too small - well now they are the only pair of pants i own that actually fit me. i LOVE these jeans. they are comfy and flattering and i think i will go shopping soon and get a few more.
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09:26 am
yesterday was a beautiful day for riding, but apparently a bad day to be a cyclist. it was about 70 degrees and sunny, and i met up with my club for a nice 45-mile mostly-flat ride from san leandro to fremont and back. i ended up in a group of four riders at the front, and since the road was straight and flat and we had already been delayed by flat tires among the rest of the group, we decided to make a break for it and got a bit of a paceline thing going on. pacelines are fun for the thrill and drafting aspect, but bad for being able to see what's coming. you rely on the guy up front to point or yell out obstacles. so we're zipping along at about 20 mph when the guy up front spots a nasty patch of gravel. somehow the first three of us (i was #3) avoided both the gravel and the nearly invisible pothole immediately to the gravel's left. rider #4 swung too far left. i didn't see her hit the pothole, but i heard it. we stopped and ran back to her - she was covered in road rash, had hit her (thankfully helmetted) head against the curb when she skidded into it, and thought she'd broken her hip. she was able to get herself upright and sitting on the curb after a few minutes, but when the rest of the group caught up to us we ended up calling 911. a firetruck and three paramedics arrived in about 5 minutes. so far i don't know the outcome - they needed room to work and we were too many cooks so we rode back (sans paceline) to the starting point where a couple people retrieved her car and drove back to the site of the crash. it was pretty scary. this woman is about 60 years old but a very strong rider and clearly an overall athlete; she apparently used to jump out of helicopters on ski patrol or something.
it could so easily have been any of us. i don't think i'll be doing any pacelines again soon.
today, i found this: Sheriff's deputy hits cyclists, killing 2. yeah, bad day to be a cyclist.
the day was greatly improved by spending some time with my college buddies Chris and Alex. Chris was visiting from LA, and even though Alex lives in SF i have not seen him since college. we took a whirlwind tour of san fran, saw some gorgeous views of the GG bridge, and then went out for delicious indian food. sorry, diet, but i think i'm entitled to a samosa after a 45-mile ride.
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March 5th, 2008
08:10 pm - a few ups and one speedy down
i am officially re-addicted to cycling, yay! with the increasing afternoon daylight hours (which will increase even more drastically starting this sunday), i am able to really take advantage of my 7-4 work schedule on wednesdays and thursdays. today i took the bike to work and afterwards, rolled out towards the oakland hills with my friend and bike-club-cohort Michael. the whole loop was about 18.4 miles, half up and half REALLY FAST down. i saw 40 MPH on the down, which i think may have been a first for me. i'm sort of a wuss about downhill speed, especially on roads with which i am not familiar, but when i could see a long way in front of me i was emboldened and really let winston fly. (winston is my bike - full name "etaK's Smooth and Flavorful Lady Winston" - so named because its color is reminiscent of the packs of cigarettes my mom smoked throughout my youth. i know, i named my bike after cigarettes. is that ironic, alanis?)
i did much better on the uphill parts than i expected to, as well. turns out, it really IS just like riding a bike!
and.. for the first time in years, i fell over. thankfully the falling over did not take place at the same time as the 40 MPH, or i'd probably not be sitting here typing this. no, my friend was riding in front of me and came to a stop and it looked like he was having trouble with his shoes or something. so i was paying attention to that, plus traffic, plus the status of the red light at this busy berkeley intersection. i had already clipped my right foot out and was preparing to stop when the bike just started leaning left.. no idea why, but i couldn't get the left foot out in time and over i went. how embarassing! nothing damaged save a skinned knee and a much worse-off ego. i guess it happens to all of us. got right back on and rode the rest of the way back to work without incident, thankfully.
am now basking in the glow of a devoured taco salad of sorts - lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, black beans, cheese, and about half a bottle of green tabasco, followed by a nice dessert of a splenda-sweetened fudge pop. hells yes.
and to make matters even better, i got a really nice email from my cousin. see, at pixar, we get these free passes to disneyland/world/whatever. i am not much of a themepark-goer, and she has a 7-year old son who's a disney/pixar fanatic, so i sent the passes to her. her email was sent from the park and apparently they are having a great time. well it just warmed the cockles of my heart.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) content
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March 4th, 2008
08:09 am
happy birthday, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lalartu!
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07:33 am
i hereby declare today, 3/4, national waltz day.
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March 3rd, 2008
07:58 am - wherein i am dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century
so, were i to get a new cellphone - and i'm not saying i am - what phone should i get? the jury will disregard the possibility that uncle steve will fire me if i don't get an iphone.
current phone:
note: this thing is a tank. in the 10 years we've been together i've dropped it, lost it, left it in hot cars, and thrown it against concrete floors with considerable force and, much like gloria gainer, it survives. i would like similar qualities in a new phone - not some cheap lightweight breakable plastic piece of crap. i don't really care about a camera, but i'm sure if it had one i would wonder how i ever lived without it. text messaging would be nice. i'm such a luddite.
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March 2nd, 2008
08:17 pm - back in the saddle
for the first time since the summer, i went for a bike ride! i met up with the cycling club i used to ride with several years ago, and we went on a lovely 40-mile loop across the dumbarton bridge and around palo alto and stanford university. it was clear and sunny with a slightly chilly wind, really an almost perfect day for riding. i was very proud of my performance, considering the out-of-shape-ness. it was not a hilly ride, but there were just enough to feel that i got a workout and built a little muscle. i came home and ate the giganticest, most protein-happy salad ever. now, after a lovely post-ride shopping excursion and a nice dinner of poached salmon and tofu shirataki, i am just about to crash and sleep for about 12 hours.
but! i must talk about the show i went to last night - gse's amazingly head-bang-inspiring (and loud) band Kowloon Walled City played a great gig at this insane warehouse space in hunter's point, a neighborhood known to me only from its numerous mentions in the nightly news for violent gang-related crime. the band's drummer lives in this space, which also houses a full on half-pipe. so all these guys were skating the halfpipe and pulling off ridiculous, uh... ollies or whatever they do.. and above it all is a stage for the bands. the audience is standing across the halfpipe from the stage, drinking beer in plastic cups and smoking. i seriously felt like i was IN guitar hero. or maybe thrasher magazine. much to my surprise, i was not the oldest person there. even more surprising - neither was gse. anyway, KWC was third in the lineup and they were just obviously so much better than the other bands.. they had interesting meters and they were tight and scott's metal face is truly unsurpassed. raaaaaaar.
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March 1st, 2008
10:33 am - seriously
i know i've said things like this before, but for the love of god if you get a chance, go see Slavic Soul Party and/or Extra Action Marching Band. and bring earplugs.
http://sonicliving.com/wl/75735/slavic_soul_party
http://www.slavicsoulparty.com/main.html (caution - flash and sound)
http://www.extra-action.com/
i would say that Slavic Soul Party is tighter musically, but Extra Action is more.. interactive. listening to SSP, i had the sense that we were all sheltering in this tiny venue from a biting, blustery siberian winter outside. they made me want to do shots of vodka. they consist of an accordion, several trumpets and trombones, a tuba, snare and bass drummers, and an absolutely phenomenal female vocalist for most songs. the music is very gypsy like, almost middle-eastern. very infectious.
extra action are amazing. there have got to be about 30 of them - a whole drum line, brass section, even scantily (VERY scantily) clad flag waving type people (what is that called? drill team or something? it has been a long time since high school.) they don't stay on stage but oom pa pa their way all through the crowd. be careful you don't get clocked in the head by a sousaphone, seriously. their drummers are amazing and really get the crowd dancing - yes, a crowd of SF hipsters dancing deliriously to a fucking marching band. amazing. at one point the middle of the floor erupted into a near-orgy - two of the drill team members were writhing their scantily clad little bodies around on the floor and naturally it became a pile-up. oops, i fell over! oh no, i fell over again! i stayed out of arm's reach for that one, but it was certainly amusing. honestly aside from the drums, their sound often almost reminds me of, well.. an unrehearsed marching band. but when they really get going, with those drums and tubas and an awesome dancey beat well, it's irresistible.
(also loud. did i mention earplugs?)
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February 27th, 2008
08:09 am
the symphony chorus is rehearsing Brahms, and one of the phrases is
"das ist und heißt"
and all i can think when i sing it is, this must be what German bank robbers say.
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February 24th, 2008
09:43 pm
woooohooooo!
i'd like to thank the academy.
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February 22nd, 2008
09:48 pm - atonement
i think i need to start netflixing my way through the entire Focus Features collection. everything i've seen of theirs has been a moving, thought-provoking, emotional experience for me. being john malkovich, traffic, 21 grams, lost in translation, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, brokeback mountain, and now atonement have all gripped me in the way i want a great film to do - leaving me speechless and moved and feeling like i've seen something beautiful.
we screened atonement tonight as part of pixar's friday night "best picture nominees" series; it truly was a gorgeous film both visually and emotionally. i liked juno, but if it wins best picture over atonement i'll be very put out. i haven't seen the other three nominated films yet, to my chagrin. hie me to netflix.
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February 19th, 2008
03:34 pm - mr. pink makes his move
gentlemoose sent me this WP photo gallery link earlier. i am still laughing at #16.
peep show
in other news, tonight is my first symphony chorus rehearsal since like november. i hope i can remember how to sing. we are rehearsing the Brahms German Requiem. i love singing in german - i think i should take a class so that i can speak it, too.
Current Mood: excited
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February 17th, 2008
06:27 pm
ha!
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