Who needs a compost pile?

This little guy Gus is really cute. And, he helps out around the house. Right now he is helping finish up the coriander. Yummy! He has a sweet gig in my friends' place - they have a sort of barn scene set up for him. Trust me, it's cooler than it sounds.

It slices

It dices, it juliennes! You may be too young to remember that commercial, but these scissors remind me of that famous kitchen product that was hawked incessantly on tv in the early days of cable. My favorite part - the bottle opener because if I'm going to be using sharp scissors to cut something and then possibly sew it up into an article of clothing, I want to male sure I can also open up a beer at the same time!

Wait wait

Before you say anything, you need to know that I was at a respectable store, albeit one in the midwest. These are leggings - Jean leggings, corduroy leggings, even cargo leggings. I now know what is meant by "jeggings." These are weird, at best. One question, if I'm too old to wear cargo pants, am I also too old to wear cargo leggings?

Flannel?

About five years ago I finally recycled my favorite flannel shirt. This was hard for me to do because the shirt was broken in, soft and comfy, not to mention pretty warm. But, I knew it was the right thing to do. After all, I lived in a large metropolitan area, not an LL Bean photo shoot. So, imagine my surprise when I saw racks of flannel shirts at a local store. Does this mean I now need a new flannel shirt? As a matter of full disclosure, I was in the suburbs when I spotted these shirts.

Sadness.

I realize that I was going to try to blog more often, but then I have not posted anything in almost two weeks. Hmm. I'm not doing so well. I'm going to try again; I should have some more free time now that the baseball playoffs are over. Well, they are not exactly over, except for my team.

It was with great sadness that I watched game 6 of the NLCS. The Phillies are my favorite team, even since the move to Chicago. I watched as Ryan Howard stood there looking at the third strike - with two runners on in the bottom of the ninth. I guess I should not have expected anything different - he had zero RBIs in the post-season and 12 strikeouts in the NLCS. The worst part of the whole thing is that Pat Burrell, former Phillies left fielder, is going to the world series with the Giants. Are you kidding me? Ugh!

I am a true Phillies fan. I will curse them out now and through the post-season as the team fails to re-sign Jayson Werth, but I will cheer for them again next year. For now, however, that was a heartbreaking loss to an inferior team. Shame on you, Phillies.

State budget

Ok, so I'm back on my soap box about the state budget. Every month we get a new sign reminding us to wash our hands. From personal experience over the last two months at my new job, the women in the office are fastidious about cleaning their hands. So, rather than paying the artist or company that produces these posters and then distributing them to all the offices statewide, why don't they just leave up one sign, save some money and then use that to give us all an extra vacation day or two! Now THAT'S a campaign platform I can support!

Guess

This reminds me of those contests where you have to guess how manta pieces are used to make the giant statue. I have a different idea - how long did it take to put this together? I used to like Legos when I was a kid, but I never made anything bigger than a shoe box. This shark is about five and a half feet tall. I think it probably took a team of people a week to make. It was worth it because it's cool!

Post-race party!

The day before the race I had two items on my to do list:

1) pick up my race packet
2) stock the fridge for the post-race party!

I picked up a few six packs of some of my favorites and filled the fridge! After the race, I invited a few friends over to celebrate and watch the Phillies! Both Philly and Chicago get points on this one - Philly for winning the first round of the playoffs and Chicago for a beautiful day and a successful marathon. Consequently, no points actually were awarded.

Read the fine print

This was a pretty cool poster that Nike made for the marathon. A really big one also was at the expo. The name of everyone who registered for the marathon was listed in small print in alphabetical order. This version was inside the store on Michigan Avenue when I went to check out the official "finisher's" gear. It's pretty cool to find your name on here.

Ice cream man, ice cream man!!

I would like to think that this wouldn't happen in Philly, but who am I kidding? Nobody! The cop is issuing a ticket to the ice cream truck that was parked to sell frozen goodness to a bunch of hot, hungry marathon runners. Shame. No points awarded or deducted for this one.

More cowbell!

Apparently spectators also had a rough day. This is a cowbell ringing blister. We are arguing over who has it worse, close call. Feet 1; cowbell hand 0. Sorry.

Blister in the sun!!

I know this picture is sort of gross, but I'm afraid these blisters will be with me for a while! On my 20 mile training run, I got a nasty blister that didn't quite heal before the marathon. As a result, I think the sorest part of me after the race was my right foot! I did a short recovery run on Tuesday and turned that mess into a bigger yuckier mess. Oh, well.

Medal!

I'm almost done blogging about the marathon. This is a picture of my medal, which I've been told will double for a bottle opener in a pinch!

The race was held on Sunday, which in any other year I would have appreciated for its unseasonably warm and sunny weather. This year, however, I did not appreciate it. Nor did about 30,000 other people!

Having fully hydrated myself for about two days, I was standing in line for the porto-john when the gun sounded for the race. No worries because I figured it would take me about 30 minutes to cross the start line. Wrong. I crossed at about 7:45. You know you're in trouble when you walk a half a mile to the start line in shorts and a t-shirt and are sweating already. Then it got warmer!

The first half was basically in the shade (or largely shady), so I felt pretty good. My race plan was to drink at every water stop, eat every six miles and run about 9:30-9:40s. I stuck to it for the first 15 miles. At mile 13.1, I was just shy of 2:06. Things were going well. Then we turned west and all hell broke loose, at least for me. At about mile 17, a bank time/temp sign read 85 degrees. I walked my first water station. At mile 18, a training partner jumped onto the course and ran with / dragged me across the finish line. I had to walk about a mile at 22. Another bank time/temp read 95. Wow! Even if it were only 85, that's hot!

With much encouragement, I started running again at mile 23 and jogged to the finish in just under 4:25. I don't know if I will do another. If you were to ask me today, I'd say NO! I think I can shave another five minutes off my time, but that seems like a lot of work for relatively little improvement.

The date to motivate

I think this was one of the official race slogans. It reminds me of the song by INXS where they rhymed a bunch of words that end in -ate. I miss Michael Hutchence.

This banner was over the entrance to the expo. That is some random good-looking dude posing for a picture.

Of course, it only made me a little more nervous, especially when I left the expo and the 11 am temperature was over 80. Not good.

Hot mess!

This shirt was next to the bullet proof bra. I wanted to get one, but they had sold out of my size. Very cute shirt.

Bullet proof bra

I also saw this wonderful item at the expo. I think it is a bullet proof jog bra, although it doesn't say so on the tag. I couldn't help but think the weather was the least of my worries if I needed a bullet proof bra!

Expo!

Back in January I got an innocent email: sign up for the Chicago marathon! At the time, it sounded like a good idea. I had been running consistently and relatively injury-free. I signed up. My first two marathon experiences had been largely unsatisfying and I thought I was in a better position this time around.

What sounded like a good idea ten months ago started sounding less good as the actual date approached. 10.10.10 - the "date to motivate" loomed in front of me. My training went fairly well and I was in pretty good shape the week before the race. I started to get nervous a few days before and by the time I went to the race expo on Saturday to pick up my number, I was regretting signing up. To make matters worse, the temperature was predicted to be unseasonably warm - sunny and mid eighties.

This picture was taken at the entrance to the expo. Over 45,000 fit athletic folks registered for the marathon. And this is the food the organizers offered them.

The expo was the biggest one I have seen. There were a number of vendors, big and small, and some cool running gear. However, weekend warriors like me were sad that they didn't have any marathon shot glasses!

Quoth the raven

Never more! I'm not sure why you have a fake bird mounted on your fence in the city. If it's wild life you crave, there are plenty of rats and squirrels around! I have also seen a few rabbits in my neighborhood. Now that the fake bird has fallen from his post, he should be placed in the bin and forgotten.

Multiple choice

Please choose the description that most likely describes the scene below:

1) the dog pooped in the house and the pet owner picked I up and put it on the porch because s/he didn't want her garbage to smell and it was too far to walk to the city-owned bins.

2) the dog refused to poop while out on the walk until right before the door and the lazy owner refused to turn around and go back to the bin to get rid of it.

3) some neighborhood kids were playing a joke and wanted to set the poop on fire and ring the doorbell, but they used a plastic bag which would not burn and then they got scared and ran away.

4) my dog pooped and I placed the bag on the neighbor's doorstep because I'm too lazy to carry it to the alley.

5) inside the bag is a very valuable item which is concealed by a non-poop substance to prevent anyone from stealing it.

6) other - please explain.

SPQR

Yes, this is the official chariot of the Roman Legions. It is a super vintage scooter. And, pretty cool.

What is this?

I saw this sign on my walk a few days ago. I'm not sure whether this is a new bagel place in the 'hood or not, but why call it Fat Bagel? We all know that bagels are mostly carbs but we love them anyway. If you want me to eat there, how about calling it New York bagels? We all know that the best bagels in the world come from New York City. A bagel off a street cart in NY beats any bagel I've had in Chicago, hands down, not even the same ballpark. And, Philly is close enough to NYC (some people even call it the sixth borough - which I'm not sure I like, but that is for another post) that they know how to make real bagels. Sorry, Chicago, point Philly. Ask any of my other displaced east coast friends, and I now have a few!

Philly 4. Chicago 1.

Freezer burn!

This is my fridge at work. Although it is pretty clean, I don't think it has ever been defrosted. The ice under the freezer section is about six inches thick, so thick that you can't put a soda bottle under it. I sort of want to chip it off with an ice pick.

Eggs Adams

After reading books a out the US revolution and watching the John Adams miniseries, I am a big fan of John Adams. About a week ago, I created a new breakfast sandwich - Eggs Adams (loosely based on Eggs Benedict). The sandwich is a fried egg on bacon, a slice of cheese and a piece of whole wheat bread. I over cooked the eggs a little and didn't have the little round things that make the egg retain the right sandwich shape, but it tasted good! And, I just went out and bought those little egg cooking devices so my next Eggs Adams will also LOOK good! (I also bought a pan to poach eggs. They won't be as good as eggs poached in boiling water, like the egg on my torta, but I think they will be good enough!)

Nature

On a beautiful day in a local garden, I stumbled across this little guy. He didn't seem too frightened of me and was sort of cute. I think he was a baby mole, but I didn't ask him because I was more scared of him!

Perfect breakfast

This is a torta from Xoco, Rick Bayliss's relatively new "fast food" joint. I went there for breakfast and had this little piece of heaven. It's basically a toaster piece of bread topped by black beans, salsa and the most perfect over easy egg that I have ever had. My description does not do it justice. If you have a chance, try one.

Philly 3; Chicago 1.

The best ever?

Taking a brief respite from the Philly / Chicago debate, this is a picture of Rafael Nadal serving during the early rounds of the US Open tennis tournament. Since he burst onto the scene at the NASDAQ 100 back in December of 2003and nearly beat Roger Federer in five tough sets, Nadal has been my favorite male tennis player. Although he has fewer grand slams than Federer, he has a decided edge on Fed in their head to head matches, particularly in grand slam finals. He has won all four grand slams and is on his way to possibly matching or exceeding Fed's total. And, perhaps best of all, he is modest. My choice for the best ever, Rafael Nadal. And I don't even know enough to put forward a strong case for him.

Philly - 3; Chicago - 0; Spain - 1.

Skyline

Admittedly not the best view, but this is the Philadelphia skyline from 76e. The Chicago skyline has captivated me since I first visited. Point Chicago.

Philly - 3; Chicago - 0.

Yummy!

The picture says it all (but I feel compelled to comment anyway): Tastycakes and the Phillies.

Philly - 3; Chicago - -1. Yes, Chicago, you lost a point on that one - two baseball teams and neither make the playoffs? Wrigley is cool, I'll give you that tradition, but unfortunately it is a losing tradition (although the Phillies do have more losses all-time than the Cubs, somewhere over 10,000, they have also won the NL East this season).

Is that a hill I see?

Sure is! Can't be the Midwest because it's taller than 100 feet. Ok, that's a little hyperbolic. Illinois is the 45th highest state with a maximum elevation of 1,235 feet at Charles Mound. The name itself is a testament to its folly. PA towers over IL with a highest point of 3,213 feet. Both of these are dwarfed by my home state of NY at Mt. Marcy, which comes in at 5,344 feet (and, incidentally, which I have climbed - summit just does not seem right under 10,000 feet).

The point is, if you drive from Chicago to St. Louis, which I did at the inception of this blog, you will see nothing but flat corn fields. You will not see rolling hills dotted with pre-revolution homes. Philly - 2, Chicago - 0.

Burger cake?

No, not beefcake. This is a Philly creation. It is a cake that looks like a burger. Genius. I don't know how it tasted, but I was tempted to find out! Philly - 1, Chicago - 0.

My renewed blogging effort (installment 1)

About a week ago, I decided that I was going to try to get back on the blogging horse, so to speak. Then, I proceeded to no post any entries for ten days. I feel compelled, not to make excuses, but to offer an explanation.

I used to walk to one train station, take photos of interesting stuff along the way and then blog about it on the way to work. Then, two things changed. First, I changed my commuting route - taking a bus that stops near my house and riding it to a different train stop. Why does this matter? Because very little of interest happens in those 50 yards, that's why. Second, I started reading - books. I just finished Wolf Hall, which a colleague loaned me. (We are both sort of history geeks, believe it or not. She also loaned me a book on Thomas Jefferson, which is next up on the list.) So, I am now seeing fewer outlandish Midwestern things and having less time to write about them. (On a related note, my job is now pretty much 9-5 with the state and no longer requires crazy long hours and a partial surrender of control of my free time / life. Despite this reduced schedule, I cannot manage to find free time to check my email or blog about my adopted city.)

All that is going to change. I am going to make a concerted effort to blog every day. For a while. Or at least on average, I've saved up some ideas and I'm ready to unload. (also, I finished my book on the train and didn't bring the next one) So, if you're still reading, strap on your helmet and get ready for a flurry of blog activity!

Here we go - potato chips. How does this relate to the Philly vs. Chicago theme? This one is easy. Far and away, my favorite chips are Herr's BBQ; they have no rival. A while back, I met a friend for lunch and the place made their own chips. They tasted ok, not as good as my Herr's, but. Check out the bag. I'm sold on the sultry piratey woman. Arrgghhh! Now, if Herr's would replace its plain gold bag with something like this, maybe they could expand their market to the Midwest! Please!