It didn’t take long on Sunday for me to realize that I pretty much had the worst Super Bowl pool numbers possible. Once the excitement fled, my family and I focused on the food, two perfect SB dishes: Gourmet nachos and chili. Both were might tasty and included beer. And I’m not ashamed to say the recipes came from two TV goddesses, Oprah and Martha Stewart. I highly recommend this nacho recipe (with this awesome cheesy beer sauce) and this chili with steak for any wintry shindig with a little kick.
I’m behind in writing up race reports (yes, Tim, I know I need to get to the Angel Island trail run report), but right now I’m looking ahead. After having to do some rehab on a stressed out Achilles tendon and the tendons surrounding it, I’ve been getting steadily better, even as I ramp up the weekly mileage. Here’s what’s on my spring schedule:
Next weekend I’m going off-roading by running the Woodside Trail Run in Woodside, near Redwood City. I’m doing the 17k (about 10.6 miles), and it will be a work-out — 1,890 feet of climbing, plus the same amount descending. I ran the Angel Island Trail Run last month, and the 1,400 feet of elevation gain were insane for this flatland dweller. I really liked the trail thing, and though my quads were sore for days because of the hills, the rest of my legs really liked the nicer running surface.
On March 14, I’ll be racing the Shamrock’n Half Marathon in Sacramento. I really want to beat my current half-marathon record of 1:54:48, so I have six more weeks to get stronger and faster. It will be the first half-marathon for a running buddy of mine, and we might be around the same pace — unless he takes off, which could happen! I won’t mind at all, because it’s much better to just try to run your own race. I’ve heard good things about this race, but if you want to sign up, it’s going to sell out very soon. They have a two-person relay, if you’re not up to the full 13.1 miles.
My odds of running the Easter Fun Run at Lodi Lake on March 27 aren’t high, but races at the lake are always nice, so if you’re looking for a 5k (3.1 miles) or a fun run for kids, I recommend it.
I’m deciding by Feb. 27 if my tendons will carry me through the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in Humboldt County. At this point, I’m about 85 percent sure that I’m going to do it. If the spring marathons I was considering, it’s economically and logistically far superior. Plus, it’s a run through the redwoods in what has historically been pretty good weather, so there are two bonuses.
I won’t be recovered in time for the Avenue of the Vines (not giants) half-marathon and 5k put on locally at Woodbridge Winery. That was my first-ever half-marathon, a day that will forever live in infamy.
But I do hope to be recovered in time for the June 12 Lake Tahoe Relay. Last year the Lodi Running Club had five teams in the seven-person 72-mile relay, and we had a fantastic weekend. If you’re interested and don’t have a full team, come check out our group (times are listed on that running club link), or feel free to post a comment or e-mail me.
That means I will most likely miss the local Trix Run, which has been held for 16 years. I can’t find any information on the 2010 race yet, but it’s usually held on the second Saturday of June at Lodi Lake. The main sponsor is General Mills, which means you get free cereal, goodies and a really fun T-shirt. I really like this race.
If you’re into water sports, local folks are putting together a swim-run-kayak race on the Mokelumne River, much of it also at Lodi Lake. That event will be held June 12. [Post edited to add the date.]
Any other races I should consider? I’m always open to suggestions, or to giving a local race a little publicity.
Bravo, Peter, the chili champion 2010
Today, the News-Sentinel celebrated the thing that only happens once a year: The chili cookoff. Staffers rolled into the parking lot early this morning, weary from cooking late into the night. Even with half batches dumped on the car floor, they were ready for victory. The building, from the newsroom to the circulation department, filled with the slightly-unappetizing aroma of chili, roasted peppers and meat. And at noon, it was on.
There were chilis with cherries, some with mango. Some were soupy, others chunky. Some promised death by heat, while others were simple and tame. But in the end, it was home delivery manager Peter Breech who won the coveted golden ladle from last year’s winner Fred Weybret.
Here are some shots of how LNS parties it up on one of the greatest days of the year.
chili, anyone?
The smile of a runner-up
this is how we roll
Jordan's spiked chili with roasted peppers
Natalie and Maggie are serious about their chili
The Fowler-meister. 'Nuf said.
This is why Layla will run tomorrow
And the winner's crock pot is scraped clean. We do work.
the goods
the master laughs in the face of cheese-topped chili. muahahahahah.
While dog/house-sitting this weekend, I thought it would be so much fun to take Captain and Sara (my dog) to the Vinewood dog park. Like I said, I thought. But I was so wrong. We pulled up to realize the entire park was flooded almost to the gates (way more than these two-days-later photos show).
Instead, we drove to Lodi Lake. It was a good way to get the dogs out, but not very much fun because they had to stay on the leash all — er, most of — the time. Because Captain broke his retractable leash by trying to herd geese, I had to thread Sara’s leash through his collar and make them walk side-by-side. Not fun for them, or me.
The whole effort to get the dogs out was kind of a bust, and it got me thinking: What’s everyone else doing? There were dozens of people walking dogs on the rainy day, but are there any other ways to entertain the dogs on bad-weather days? Any ideas? Anyone?
I’m happy to say that I’m sticking to one of my new goals and trying my hand at different arts. This month, I learned (and still need to refine) soldering, pronounced “sautering.” I always though metal work would be such a hassle and expensive, but it’s really not. All you need is a small-ish soldering iron (not a blow torch, as many keep asking me), flux (this clear-ish goo), copper foil and solder that comes wound up like wire. Then, of course, there’s the glass and images.
I learned two weekends ago from a very artsy friend; and this weekend, I tried it on my own and taught Maggie. My first project was a necklace charm with photo booth and Ferris Wheel pictures I took at the Grape Festival. I also made the above charm for LNS photographer Jen Howell, using photos of her children.
You can make a charm out of anything: photos, scrapbook paper, a mini collage, feathers, etc.
While Long Beach flooded (that’s a crazy picture) and Orange County had a tornado watch today, I was chasing a rainbow on my way back to work from lunch. The rainbow only lasted a few minutes, and it was behind power lines and buildings, but here are a few photos (click the photos to see larger, oh-so-stellar phone-quality versions).
Here’s Washington Elementary School:
And here is a silly sign. You can see the pouring rain on my windshield:
Regarding the tornado watch, us Californians don’t really know what to do about those kinds of events, and most of us don’t even have basements. The Orange County Register had the tornado warning on its Web site, along with tips on things like traffic reports and safety. They also had a link of “Hiking tips: How to stay safe outdoors.” Maybe it’s me, but I don’t think hiking is the best thing to do when there’s a tornado watch.
Happy rainy holiday! If you’re at work, you probably have three things working against you: 1.) it’s a Monday 2.) it’s raining and windy 3.) it’s a holiday and you’re at the office. While there’s something nice about starting a new, fresh week, you have to admit there are other ways you’d rather be spending the day. So if you are sitting at home eating your Cheerios and watching “Reegis,” get up for a little while and let us holiday office dwellers live vicariously through you.
Here’s what I would do on a long rainy day off:
1. Make baked French toast.
2. Dress my niece and nephew up in rubber boots and rain gear and go outside for a rainy day photo shoot, complete with lots of puddle jumping.
3. Finish one of the many books I’m halfway through while sitting under a blanket near a window.
4. I’d have a Woody Allen film festival (this might have to be part of a rainy weekend).
5. Go thrifting.
6. Have a date with Ben & Jerry; aka Mr. Cherry Garcia.
7. Sit at a coffee shop and catch up on: organizing my Flickr account, my external hard drive, photo projects, long e-mails to friends.
8. Let my three dogs run through a big muddy field.
9. Make tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on fresh sourdough and eat it picnic-style on the living room floor (while incorporating No. 4).
OK, so it’s not all romantic and interesting, but you get the idea. What’s on your list?
In yesterday’s Regional Roundup, we shared some information from the District Attorney’s office warning county residents to be wary of charities claiming they would help the people in Haiti after the devastating earthquake that has killed tens of thousands.
One of the tools they mentioned to help weed out fraudulent “charities” was Charity Navigator. Better yet, Charity Navigator has a list of nonprofit organizations currently helping to provide relief in Haiti (as well as tips to avoid getting scammed). If you donate to one of those, then you can tell people going door to door that you already donated what you could.
Another good list is on Network for Good’s blog. (Network for Good is sort of like a Facebook for charities, letting people go on the site, donate to a bunch of nonprofits at once, send e-mails to their friends, buy gift cards that benefit an organization, and so on.)
And, of course, there are places like DoSomething.org, which regularly awards grants, funded by companies like Dunkin Donuts and American Express, to teens and young adults with good ideas to help others. Right now, they’re encouraging people to apply for grants to help Haiti. Grants are usually about $500; you can find application information on their Web site.
So don’t be afraid to donate, if you can spare it. But make sure to carefully check any organization before you give money or personal information, and be careful!
Today, I got a new work computer. And it’s already changing my life.
For the first time in months, I logged onto lodinews.com and didn’t get the rainbow spinny wheel of death. I opened a web page and was actually able to scroll to the bottom of the page without going crazy waiting for page to catch up. I even, I admit, logged on to Facebook without Firefox and Safari crashing and burning. I am blogging for the first time in months, and I don’t think I have to worry about the post being deleted just because my computer hates me. You can imagine how this is already bettering my mental well-being.
In the months I daydreamed of dropping the blue Mac from the News-Sentinel roof, there were other happenings — like the entire holiday season, “Avatar,” road trips, the new Polaroid, Netflix and new crafts — that made me think, “If only I could blog that…”
So, yay — it’s good to be back.
I hate to horn in on film critic Jason Wallis’ territory, which is one reason why I rarely say anything about the movies I’m watching here. (The other is because I normally watch them two or three years after they’re out of theaters. On the cutting edge, I am not.)
However, one of the movies I’ve been looking forward to since the day it was announced is the traditionally-animated (rather than CGI) Disney film “The Princess and the Frog.” When Disney announced during production of “Home on the Range” that it would be their last 2-D animated feature, I was crushed.
I grew up on “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “The Great Mouse Detective.” One of the first movies I saw in a theater was “Oliver and Company,” and I watched “Lady and the Tramp” and “Cinderella” endlessly on video as a child. That love of Disney movies as a kid grew into a love of all kinds of animation as an adult — in fact, most of my favorite TV shows and movies are animated.
So it wasn’t just that Disney was ending 2-D production, it was that, despite the success of “Lilo and Stitch,” they were blaming the medium rather than the poor storytelling of movies like “Brother Bear,” and that they were closing the department with a terrible movie and a whimper instead of on a high note.
When Disney and Pixar merged and it was announced that they would be making new 2-D musical animated features like those I grew up on, it was exciting. And the story for “The Princess and the Frog” — set in 1912 New Orleans rather than some ancient or medieval castle, with the princess as the rescuer instead of the prince, and a good dose of humor and history — seemed like a big step in the right direction.
I saw the movie on New Year’s Eve, and while there were a few loose ends and some heavy handed moments in the script, it was a funny, entertaining movie. I’ve had two of the songs taking turns being stuck in my head ever since — “Almost There,” and what is probably the most adorable song in a Disney movie ever, “Ma Belle Evangeline” — and I am very tempted to see it again.
It wasn’t the perfect Disney movie, but it was very, very close, and a huge step up from many of their later 2-D movies.
