I am impatient.

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Mica

Is it bad that 0 degrees no longer troubles me? I think so.

This morning, I had all intentions of getting up for my leisurely seven-mile run, but it just didn’t happen. First, the boyfriend had to get up at the [butt-] crack of dawn to get ready to teach his 8am discussion section. Being the sweet girlfriend that I am, I got up with him and made his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Actually, that’s not entirely true. As I mentioned in my last post, I have an unhealthy tendency to snack on plain peanut butter. Oh, look at how tricky I am! My sandwich-making has an ulterior motive.

After lazing around the apartment for awhile, I decided that I was going to do some core work on my own and then run in the afternoon. As I was bemoaning the unfortunate state of my non-existent abs, I noticed that little bits of stuff were getting stuck to my legs and shorts. Having stale rice-cake crumbs on my bum galvanized me into action, and I spent the rest of the morning (and most of the afternoon) cleaning the apartment.

For lunch, I met Stephanie, a friend and Ph.D. student in the Physics department, at a fake Greek place named Zorba’s. Since I was still under the assumption that I would run later in the afternoon, I walked into Zorba’s determined to abstain from heavy and/or fried food. (Freudian slip–I totally just wrote that as “friend food.”) When it was my turn to order, I asked for a black bean burger on a pita. Then the order-taker threw a monkey wrench in my plans and said, “Do you want any sides? A drink? Fries?”

“No fries!” I thought to myself, “Crap! Think quick! Pick something so you don’t look like an idiot!”

I’m not entirely sure why the words “No, thank you!” eluded me at that precise moment. As my eyes raced frantically over the laminated menu, I blurted out the first thing that I saw:

“UM! MAY I HAVE HUMMUS AND PITA?”

…which, ladies and gentlemen, is how I ended up with a lunch that looked like this:

Hello, white bread!

By the time I got home and got all my cleaning and errand-running done, it was 5pm. At this point, the temperature was a refreshing 14 degrees (with no wind chill). I got ready in all my running gear and then promptly had a temper tantrum when my Garmin spent 10 minutes trying to find the satellite signal. No joke, I burst into tears of hot, hot frustration.

Fortunately, the issue resolved itself, and I literally sprinted out the door, whereupon my tears froze to my face. Miraculously, the run went pretty well. Unfortunately, it got dark quickly, and I was left running around the south end of campus (near the athletic facilities and cow pastures) where there was still plenty of snow and not many lights. At one point, I got spooked looking at the frozen playing fields and thought to myself: This must be what Siberia looks and feels like! Then I remembered that I’m hardcore for running in the cold and felt better. By the time I got back, I felt so satisfied with my running that I almost forgot about the temper tantrum. This leads me to the conclusion

Without running, I’d be a super-unpleasant person.

Overall, I ran 7.22 miles at 10:04 pace, which is fine considering the cold and snow/ice on the ground. I’m quite pleased that despite my earlier procrastination, I got out and accomplished one of my two daily goals.

By the time I got back, it was well under 10 degrees. What does a post-run face in sub-10 degrees look like? Like this:

In regards to Goal #2 (Snack less), I did better…sort of. I ate a lot of Craisins, but I dumped the rest of the broken tortilla chips in the trash. Then I made sure that they were covered with garbage, just in case I had some urge to eat them out of the trashcan.

To make up for the pita-fest that was my lunch, I made a really tasty stir-fry tonight with kim chi, spinach, tofu, and scallions plus a sweet potato on the side. Sorry, the picture looks icky.

On a random note–I just wanted to say that I really enjoy reading blogs that have lots of pictures of the authors and various aspects of their lives, hence why I post so many here. I hope you enjoy it and don’t think I’m histrionic, mirror-kissing weirdo.

And Sarah–I totally ate Nutella straight from the jar when I was in Paris! I even tried to hide it on the top shelf of the cabinet. It didn’t work. After my runs, I’d stand on a stool (in my sports bra), spooning Nutella into my mouth. Good thing it’s expensive here, so I don’t keep it in the apartment.

Lunchbox, I luv u!

Posted on January 29, 2009 by Mica

Just to get this out there: I didn’t run today. I don’t even have a decent reason for my laziness: I went to bed late, and I felt really stressed about my reading for seminar today. Also, the sidewalks are still a bit treacherous. It’s not really a big deal, as I can still run the next three days to make my mileage “quota”. Really, I’m not sure why I’m beating myself up about this. It doesn’t matter, right? Right.

Okay, I’m glad I got that off my chest. I was feeling really guilty. Onto other things!

Yesterday, my cool Laptop Lunchbox arrived, and today, I got to use it! Unlike Matt, I’ve been trying to pack my lunch regularly to save money and eat healthy things. (The last four years, I’ve been eating out or going to the dining hall.) Anyway, Laptop Lunches makes this cool box with fitted compartments for your lunch; it’s based on the idea of Japanese bento boxes. I should also mention that it’s geared towards children…and children at heart…and control freaks.

This way, I can pack my lunch in a reusable container to cut down on disposable bags, foil, and plastic wrap. Today, I had homemade yogurt (with a bit of sugar, like the Frenchies do), carrot sticks, apple slices, and a wrap with spinach, dill pickles, and homemade hummus:

(I think tortillas look like they have liver spots. Gross!)

Basically, I’m an unapologetic control freak, and I love having everything fit neatly in the little compartments and staying put. (If only I could do that with people…) The box even came with a sleeve and a cold pack to keep everything together:

Um, my dorkiness factor just skyrockted. Whoops.

French officemate Julie was moderately amused by my lunchbox when I showed it to her. Then she rolled her eyes when I enthusiastically showed everyone else who stopped by the office this afternoon. (“Hey! Come look at my lunchbox!”) Then I taught her the colorful and useful English expressions “junk in your trunk” and “shake what your momma’ gave you.”

Alright, so I just spent several hundred words praising a shiny, plastic lunchbox. At least I wasn’t talking about my research or something grad student-y.

Tomorrow, I have two goals:

Run seven miles, as suggested by the Half Marathon training program
Stop mindlessly snacking. I have a really bad habit of randomly standing with the pantry door open, just eating out of the bulk containers. While a handful of Craisins seems fairly innocuous, I also mindlessly consume tortilla chips and–here’s the worst–peanut butter. I shamelessly scoop out peanut butter and walk around the apartment eating it off my finger. I’m gross. I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore…

I think I’ve asked this before: How do you keep yourself from mindlessly grazing on things? Does no one else have this problem? Am I the only gross peanut-butter eater?

This was a pretty lame post, so I will leave you with a picture of apartment decorations that roommate Tina found in Europe:

(Get it? Hint: The boyfriend’s name is Harrison.)

"Speed work" and gratitude

Posted on January 28, 2009 by Mica

Given the volume of responses to my last post with the general theme of WTF?!? RUNNING IN SHORTS?, I feel the need to clear things ups. I did go out in shorts, but I spent a total of three minutes outside. The “running” picture was a motion capture of my trek across the front lawn. Since our apartment is approximately the temperature of the sun’s surface, I went outside warm and didn’t even have time to get cold. Thank you for your concern though. It’s nice to know that people care about me and my naked legs.

This morning, I woke up to find about 6″ of snow on the ground. Actually, I have no idea how many inches of snow were on the ground, except that it was far too many inches! I got all suited up, only to meet the boyfriend coming in the door from his run. He said that it was pretty rough and exhausting to high-knee through the unploughed sidewalks. My other alternative would have been to run in the tire tracks on the road. “No thanks,” I said, “I have reading to do for my seminars!” I took off all my running gear and sat around pretending to read about the symbolic value of French cathedrals.

Thus, I ran after classes and meetings today at the school gym. Jan from the Half Marathon training program suggested that I start alternating striders and tempo runs every other week to get in some speed work. I decided that today was the day to start!

The indoor track is about nine laps to a mile, and today, all 45,000 students were on the track, getting up in my grill! I warmed up with ten minutes of slow jogging, weaving, and dodging, and then I did five two-minute intervals of “fast” running with a minute of walking in between. (I should have jogged–not walked–but I was tired!)

What do I mean by “fast” running? I don’t know. I just hauled ass conservatively, but such that I had to pass everyone on the track, including a boy who did not read the directions: “Faster people should use the outside lane. Slower people should use the inside lane.” He apparently also ignored the WALK, JOG, RUN markers on the lanes. Then I punched him in the hamstring! (No, I wish.)

Though I wasn’t sprinting, I finished my mini-workout all tired and sweaty. Good thing Dan, Jessica, and Liz had arrived in time for Kick ‘N Core! Apparently, running and immediately kickboxing is bad news. No joke, at the half-way point, I actually imagined myself dropping dead from exhaustion in the middle of the indoor soccer field and being trampled by all the bouncy girls doing “running man” behind me! By the time we were done, I think “pooped” was the only expression that could adequately describe the way I looked and felt.

Okay, that’s actually a lie. When I got out of the locker rooms, I found enough energy to prance around in my giant snow boots which I wore for the first time today. I tried to explain to Dan, Liz and Jessica that they looked like “moon boots”, but given that I did not defy gravity in them, the explanation may have fallen flat.

This brings me to my next topic: gratitude.

Despite the weather conditions, the boyfriend offered to pick up me and Dan at the gym, which is about three and a half miles from our apartment. Between getting himself out of the snowed-in parking space and driving carefully on the roads, it took him about 40 minutes to pick us up and another 20 to drive home. By the time he got back, he had a hunger headache and a case of motion-sickness from drifting on the road. I feel pretty guilty. So dearest boyfriend, though you don’t read this blog, thank you for picking me up today!

(Refueling with Craisins. Note the appropriate snowman boxers.)

Secondly, a big thank you to Ashley for doing freelance work on my blog! I appreciate you taking the time out of your professional person’s schedule to fiddle with the blogger code. I also appreciate that you helped teach me how to put on makeup:

In final news, I got a promising e-mail in response to my search for a running buddy. It sounds too good to be true, but keep your fingers crossed!

State of flux and SNOW!!!!

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Mica

Apologies if you’ve been visiting this evening and the layout is a bit wonky.

My dear friend Ashley (pictured above) has agreed to tweak the layout and make me a header image. The was a time, years ago, that I had knew more about web design than Ashley. Fortunately, the fall of my design skills has coincided with the rise of Ashley’s. She is now working full-time as a graphic and web designer. She even has her own business cards!

I have no idea what the layout will be. Hopefully, a pleasant surprise!

I planned on skipping my run today because the forecast predicted 2″-4″ of snow overnight. Unfortunately, the people at weather.com failed at reading their crystal weather ball. The snow didn’t start until about 4pm this afternoon.

Despite the fact that no snow fell from the sky last night, I didn’t run anyway because I have some slight pain in my right foot. When I wake up, I get sort of sharp pain under my third and fourth toes. Plantar fasciitis, is that you? I’m not too worried about it since I’ve been slipping and sliding a bit on my runs recently. Nevertheless, I figured a day to rest it wouldn’t hurt anything.

Thus, I have nothing exciting to report in the realm of running. (Except that I am leaning towards running Chicago. I guess I’ll decide by this weekend.)

I did make hummus for the first time. We now have a lot. Good thing I’m the only one who eats it:

I also ate this rice cake in the shape of PacMan completely by accident:

Okay, the boyfriend just reported that the prediction for tonight is now 3″-5″ of snow, so I spontaneously decided to go play in it:

Jumping:

Running:

ATTACKING:

Clearly, it is time for bed. Goodnight!

Notable Conversations and what I learned.

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Mica

With Dan, via e-mail:

Me: I love how I have moderately strong calves and quads and a wimpy upper body. Seriously I’m like a modern-day tyrannosaurus rex.
Dan: It is funny that you describe yourself as a T-rex. I AM TOO. That is what they called me in college. T-ReX because my arms are short (not scrawny) and I couldn’t reach things

What I learned: Further proof that Dan and I are the same person.

With Dad:

Dad: How cold is it there?
Me: Umm, 15…feels like 11.
Dad: Oooh, well that’s what it is here!
Me: Really? [Checks weather.com for Richmond's current conditions]
Dad: You should be glad you’re not in Chicago. I hear they…
Me: Dad! It’s not 15. It’s 36!
Dad: Right. I was confused.

What I learned: I would kill for 36 degrees right now. Seriously, I would break out the hula skirt and coconut bra that I don’t own.

With Jessica:

Me: Hey! Do you want to run the Chicago Marathon in October?
Jessica: No! But I will be your most ardent supporter.

What I learned: Jessica, like most sane people, has no desire to participate in something as ridiculously masochistic as running 26.2 miles. I must be crazy.

With the boyfriend:

Me: You smell like tacos.
Boyfriend: I’m sorry.

What I learned: Sometimes, the boyfriend smells like pan-browned beef, but that’s okay because he came to pick up me and Dan from Kick ‘N Core.

With the contents of my fridge:

Fridge: You should eat everything in me.
Me: No, I don’t want to. I’m going to bed soon.
Fridge: Why don’t you make a giant bowl of yogurt, granola, apples, and oranges and scarf it down in world record time?
Me: Okay!

What I learned: I have no will power whatsoever.

In other news, today I ran six miles, which is a first for a school day. I also went to Kickboxing class with Dan and Rebecca, where I learned that I cannot shake my ass…AT ALL! I almost made a video to show you how bad I am, but I figured your eyes might bleed.

Apparently, no one wants to be my running buddy.

Thanks for all the advice about running Chicago. Actually, by “advice”, I mean “orders”.

Shut-in Sunday.

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Mica

I took a day off from running (and kickboxing) today. Sorry, no running stories of snot frozen to my face or the imminent dangers of frostbite.

Guess what! It snowed this morning, so I pretended that I was actually stuck inside the apartment. The idea was to force myself to be productive by pretending that I physically could not get out of my front door. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much reading for my seminars done as I would like.

…but I did make yogurt! Have you ever seen anything so cute and OCD in your life?

I also experimented with the world’s ugliest vegetable, celeriac:

I ended up boiling it and then mashing it with butter and milk to make some kind of bastardized mashed potato dish. The results were mostly pleasant, something like mashed potatoes with a celery flavor. However, I am in need of a ricer or a potato masher. Beating the boiled chunks of celery root with a rice cooker paddle and a giant serving fork yielded somewhat lumpy results:

I think the boyfriend liked it more than I did. He actually enjoys celery, whereas I associate it with gagging on its stringy bits in preschool. Gross. Even masquerading as mashed potatoes, that flavor still makes me a bit unhappy in my tummy. (Not a euphemism for bowel problems.)

Have you ever tried myheritage.com? There’s a “celebrity recognition” tool that matches uploaded photos to a celebrity database. The results are pretty amusing. (Catherine, I will never forget the time that it matched you to Abraham Lincoln.)

What can I say? I have a hot department.

Registration for the Chicago Marathon starts next weekend. I’ve been debating all day whether I want to make the plunge. I’ve actually been planning on running a Fall 2009 marathon as my first, but now that I’m faced with the actual opportunity to commit to one, I’m wavering like crazy. Because I don’t feel 100% sure that I want to run Chicago, I’m afraid that it would set a bad tone for my training, and I wouldn’t really push myself to do well. There’s also the issue of committing myself to a full marathon before I see how the Half Marathon goes in April. On one hand, it seems like I should be able to complete a marathon given my age and general level of fitness and enthusiasm for running. On the other hand, 26.2 miles is so freakin’ long. I don’t know how you all do it!

On the “pro” side of the argument, Chicago is certainly a race worth getting excited about. I’ve never done a big city race, and I’m sure I would totally get CONSUMED by the excitement of it. When we visited in October, I was really jealous of all the participants who were milling around the city with their race packs. Plus, Jordan and Maria have graciously offered to host me and the boyfriend, help us carbo-load and carbo-replenish, and make us motivational signs. There are also a ton of participants, which almost guarantees that I wouldn’t come in last!

(My other option for a Fall 2009 race is Richmond, which has been getting some attention in recent years. Certainly, it would be nice to run through my hometown and have my friends and family there to support me. And Richmond has a junk food station around Mile 22 or so with gummy bears! Nonetheless, it would be terribly inconvenient to travel 700+ miles each way over a weekend. Yikes. I think that effectively crosses Richmond off my list.)

The boyfriend says that he will sign up too if I register for Chicago. I think the sentiment is less “We’ll motivate each other to accomplish something great!” and more “Helllllz no is she running a marathon and I’m not!” (Apparently, I always misconstrue everything he says, so take my interpretation with several grains of salt.)

What do you think? Were all you marathoners this hesitant and doubtful when you signed up for your race? Or were you ready and sure from the start? Seriously, all input is appreciated.

Nothing else exciting to report except this bizarre expression captured on film tonight as I ate a Fudgesicle. Lest anyone ever accuse me of only posting attractive photos:

I think my quads look strong. So there!

Hardcore running and eating

Posted on January 24, 2009 by Mica

I’m about to pass out from extreme fatigue and a massive food coma, so here I go. Wheeee!

This morning, I got myself up at the butt crack of dawn (Okay, 6:45am) and sat in the office crying about the temperatures: 5 F, with a windchill of -11. By the time I got to Body ‘N Sole for the group run, it wasn’t any warmer. In fact, I spent the first ten minutes of the run thinking:

“I hope I’m not getting frostbite. Damn, my fingers are so cold!”
“I wonder if the Champaign County natives will tease me for asking about frostbite.”
“What if I take off my gloves at the end of the run and my fingers are black and dead?”
“If I have to undergo amputation for my frostbitten fingers, would I qualify as a handicapped person? I think losing just one finger makes you, like 20% handicapped. Would I get a handicapped parking space?”
“…How would I type my dissertation with no fingers?!?”

This is why I need a running partner. I need to stop these irrational thoughts.

(Speaking of a running partner, the search isn’t going very well. I got the e-mail addresses of a few other grad students who are already training together, but they want to run in a gym. Really, I just want a running friend who will brave the intense weather with me and let me cry icicle tears on her shoulder and talk her frozen ears off during our runs. Is that so much to ask?)

Anyway, the 8-mile run went really well. I had been worried since I did six miles yesterday, and my quads were a little tight this morning when I headed out the door. Nevertheless, I made it through the run with no real problems. I even ran sub-10 pace, amazing! A nice lady talked to me for six of the eight miles, so that made things go a lot better. I’m glad I’m doing the program. Hopefully, it will help me finish the Half Marathon in a time that makes me happy (TBD).

By the end of the eight though, my quads were pretty tight though, so I had my first experience with a foam roller.

…That hurt. Like, a lot.

Because I’d feel like a doofus carrying around a giant roll of foam, I opted for the more discreet and portable option: the Stick. The boyfriend and I have been thinking about getting one for awhile, and today seemed like the day to do it. As expected, we’ve spent the day rolling our legs and complaining about soreness because we’re big wusses. (I do still want a foam roller. They’re pretty badass.)

When I got back from the run, I ate some oatmeal and geared up for workout #2: Kick ‘N Core with our frightening “wildebeest” instructor Lesa. Dan, Rebecca, and I were there with a bunch of other people, including one girl who somehow had negative rhythm. Like Chuck Norris, I had to be really careful about not spontaneously roundhouse-kicking people in the face, but I am proud to report that I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself. (Particularly in light of the fact that I was in front of a bunch of tall, fit-looking sorority girls.) I might be getting the hang of kickboxing, except for the parts that resemble dancing and shaking my hips. I think that part of my brain-muscle connection is just gone.

I think it’s Chinese New Year. Dan, the boyfriend, and I celebrated with matar paneer (Indians cheese and peas), chips and salsa (Okay, I made it two weeks almost.), pork potstickers, and brownie sundaes.

None of us are Chinese, and I’m basically Caucasian, so my potstickers probably fall woefully short of the real deal. Nonetheless, they helped my replenish my store of carbohydrates and protein after today’s two workouts.

Anyway, good job Miss Indiana for winning the Miss America 2009 title. Sometimes, I really want to be in the Miss America pageant because I imagine myself winning the hearts of judges with my razor-sharp sense of humor and myriad of talents: wiggling my ears, putting spoons on my nose, shelling and eating peanuts, etc. Then I think about walking around in heels and decide to put off my Miss America ambitions for at least another year…

I think the boys had a nice time. I mean, who doesn’t like eating tasty food and talking about Miss Georgia’s enormous boo-tay?

Lesa gave us some scary statistic once about a single Kick ‘N Core class torching 800 calories or something. I find this somewhat dubious, but it was certainly a great excuse to finish off the night with this amazing sundae that Dan made:

(Low-fat ice cream. That’s healthy, right?)

Finally, thanks for all the “good luck” comments on yesterday’s post! I kept your sentiments close to my frozen heart today while running.

Notice that I didn’t mention getting any schoolwork done today. Yay, Sunday workdays! Nevertheless, I am sleeping as late as I want tomorrow, and it will be glorious. [Choirs of angels bursting into song]

Group run tomorrow. Yikes!

Posted on January 24, 2009 by Mica

I have to go to bed in preparation for an early group run tomorrow. 8am. It is going to be so cold and windy at the end of civilization (Savoy, IL).

…Let’s just hope that eating 483920483209473821748032 peanuts and drinking a cider counts as carbo-loading in preparation for the eight-miler tomorrow.

Wish me luck that I don’t start out tomorrow as a dehydrated, dessicated husk or I will surely be blown away by the wind.

That said, thanks to Dan and his friend Jerry for getting me out to a bar tonight. Sometimes, I’m actually a moderately fun person.

Revealing tags

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Mica

Miss RunningLaur tagged me. Thanks, lady! I’m really honored that someone thinks my blog is “fabulous”. (Cue High School Musical 3 song.) This tag involves listing your five current obsessions/addictions and then picking five lucky people to follow suit.

First, I asked the boyfriend what he thinks my five current obsessions are. Apparently, he sees me as a shallow hypochondriac with a penchant for salty snacks:

“Personal Appearance”
“Chips”
“Running”
“Diseases (or ailments or something…)”
“Judging people”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not obsessed with me.”

Here’s my list:

Running
Blogs
Learning to cook
The unfortunate degeneration of my French
Dan ^_^

And I tag:

Ayesha (Get it right this time!)
Julianne
Cindy
Bobbi
Melinda

(Madison–I didn’t tag you because I think you mentioned that you don’t like filling these things out.)

Speaking of Cindy, she was nice enough to send me her old, gently-used fuel belt. I hope to get plenty of use out of it once I start getting into long summer runs on hot days. I just have to make sure not to eat too many cookies because it doesn’t leave me too much wiggle room:

My hips don’t lie, and they say, “Thanks, Cindy! You rock!”

I didn’t run today. Unfortunately, I really don’t have an excuse other than my own laziness. When I woke up this morning, I knew that I really wanted an off day. Since school started, I’ve been trying to work out a morning schedule where I wake up early, run, shower, pack my lunch, and make breakfast. This is proving more difficult that I envisioned.

Nevertheless, the day was not unproductive. My French officemate Julie and I had a friendship breakthrough today. This is a big deal. Everything about my personality seems to be somehow incongruous with Julie’s. For example, she sees my running habits as extreme American-ism, and I am generally disgruntled by her abhorrence of peanut butter. I’m lucky to share my office with her, but I often wonder if she gets my sense of humor.

Today, I was sitting in the office (without make-up) and complaining about having to put it on. I unceremoniously grabbed my brush and started applying neutral eyeshadow with rough, unpolished strokes. Julie clucked her teeth and said, “Oh nooo, Mica!” and took the brushes from me. She then proceeded to do my eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lip-gloss. Our conversation went like this:

Me: You’re better at this than I am.
Julie: You just need to practice. You’re too violent, Mica. You ruin everything.
Me: I’m seriously the worst girl ever. I’m like make-up retarded.
Julie: Haha, “make-up retarded.” I have not heard this.
Jenny (Third Officemate): Haha, you’re teaching her bad English!
Me: Yeah, I know. Seriously. [Laughs]
Julie: Shut up, Mica! [Jabs me with the eyeliner stick]

I wanted to remember this day forever, so I took pictures of the final product when I got home.

The boyfriend laughed at this confused face that I somehow managed to make:

Then he made one of his own:

Also, while still discussing the difficulties of UnderArmour shirts, we got onto the subject of waists. He insists that he has one. I say no. What is YOUR assessment:

Haha, sorry. This post makes me look obsessed with taking pictures of myself. Maybe I should have listed that earlier…

Rice Cooker > Me

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Mica

This morning, I did not want to go for a run. Oddly enough, it was the warmest day that we’ve had in awhile: the high was predicted to be a whopping 31 degrees. It was about 12 (windchill of 2) when I headed out for my run. Unfortunately, my legs just felt tired, and I derived no joy from being hardcore, like I usually do. I also got out late, so I only did three miles. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Fortunately, I went to Kick ‘N Core with Dan, Rebecca (also from the French department), and approximately 24932849302 other girls. It is “try out for free” week for classes for people to decide if they want to invest in a semester pass. There were so many girls (plus one boy: Dan) that we covered the entire indoor soccer court with barely enough personal space. I almost round-house kicked this girl with big boobs behind me today. (Her fault for getting all up in my grill!)

I really hope Kick ‘N Core makes me a stronger runner! Sometimes, I feel like it’s not doing anything for me, until I realize that I’m sweaty and exhausted.

Today, for lunch, I took a page out of Sharon‘s book and had a tofu and almond butter sandwich for lunch. I really hate packing meat for lunch, so this was a great alternative:

The boyfriend calls this an “elitist lunch.”

And I finally got to try out my fancy rice cooker! I’ve been joking that this “high tech” rice cooker has such a big computerized brain that it could beat me to getting a Ph.D., but it seriously might be true. I’m looking forward to learning all the intricacies of this advanced technology. Apparently, it doubles as a steamer and slow-cooker…and probably also as a blender, carwash, television, and personal masseuse. In my dreams!

Tomorrow, I have my first seminar about “The Study of Culture”. Our introductory readings brought me a heart-stopping and terrible realization. It’s going to be faintly reminiscent of my second undergraduate major: Media Studies. Except this time, it’ll be in French. Seriously, MDST, stop following me around like a foreboding apparition! Let’s only hope that history doesn’t repeat itself…because this is about how stimulating I found my fourth-year seminar on Media Studies and questions of culture:

In the likely chance that I am bad at The Study of Culture, I’ll just send my rice cooker in my stead. It’ll probably get an A, as long as I set it to the “Culture” mode.