Monthly Archives: November 2009

Waffles make things better.

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I’m back to the apartment! By the grace of powers unseen, upstairs neighbors did not manage to burn down the building in our absence.

There may be a nationwide Eggo waffle shortage, but fortunately, Mom was gracious enough to give me her Belgium waffle iron. This is fortuitous because I have recently developed a craving for waffles. (Thanks, RB!)

My first few attempts were misshapen, but my new Christmas platter (also a gift from Mom) made up for what they lacked in aesthetic symmetry.


I plan to use Christmas platter every day until I I leave for winter break. In this way, I will impose some mandatory holiday cheer during the drudgery (+ pain, suffering, and tears) of end-of-semester paper-writing.

This photo serves no purpose except to show you that I ate more carbs.


The recipe yielded approximately a ton of waffles.


…so many waffles:


Now, I am off to bed. Clean flannel sheets! Yesssss.

Halfway back to Flat-land.

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I’m currently perched on the hotel bed while we make an overnight stop in Winchester, KY. The boyfriend is meanwhile voicing his utter discontent with collegiate football coverage.

The vending machine sold me this bizarre local beverage:

It is apparently the soft drink of Kentucky.

…Oh, look at that! Apparently UVA was defeated for the sixth year in a row by Virginia Tech. Good thing I don’t follow football or I might be enraged on behalf of my undergraduate institution.

I started Thanksgiving off by participating in Alisa’s virtual Turkey Trot. I didn’t run a very fast 10K because (1) my knee is still wonky and (2) my butt was really sore. (Running up all the hills of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond? Yeah, bad call.) In any event, I made it through all 6.2 miles in 1:02:59.

After my 10K, Mom and I watched the National Dog Show. It was awesome. I yelled at the TV a lot. Dog shows = my football.

Later, I went to my uncle and aunt’s house for a Thanksgiving feast. I have no Thanksgiving food pictures to share because I was too busy eating to snap photos. Oh well, stuffing, no matter how delicious it tastes, always looks like cat barf in photos. (Mom makes an oyster dressing that can only be described as bitchin‘.)

This year, my cousin’s boyfriend Daniel joined our family gathering, so, like last year, I insisted that we take a serious photo:


Though I had some issue keeping a straight face:


Cousin Rachel and I share a special non-biological ESP. Need proof? Our coordinated outfits:


My aunt and uncle’s cat is a small bear:


My uncle tried on a woman’s coat up for grabs:


Cousin Josh wowed the adults (Steve, Aunt Kris, Stepmom Pat, and Dad) with the wonders of technology:


My mom is truly and unabashedly a carnivore.


Later, Kris told me a festive story about a time in her youth when she watched a dentist drain an abscessed tooth. We had time for a photo.


Unfortunately, I was amiss in my camera duties, so I didn’t get photos of my whole family, for whom I am obviously thankful. Everyone says this, but I am really thankful for my family. Who else can boast a Thanksgiving celebration that is not marred by embittered divorcés? Um, right.

The next day, I did the whole thing again with the boyfriend’s family (only this time, there were children). I am thankful for the boyfriend too.

Today, I ran four miles:

  • Mile 1 – 9:49
  • Mile 2 – 9:56
  • Mile 3 – 9:33
  • Mile 4 – 9:16
  • 0.34-mile – 3:15

Then we got in the car and drove westward. Now, I am hungry. Wish me luck finding food in sketchy-ville Kentucky!

Kim, better than vampires.

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My running at home is not going so well. Yesterday, I got out four miles, but my knee started aching towards the end. Today, it still felt off, so I went on a long walk with Mom and the dog during which I ran up all the hills. At this point, I can’t really diagnose my issue, so it appears that the best course of action may be to take a week or two off from running. I’ll give it a few more days before I decide to commit to 100% cross-training.

Later, my friend Ashley and I went to see New Moon. I won’t get into my disdain for the Twilight books here, but I was genuinely interested in seeing the second movie for its entertainment potential. Here is my beef:

  • Not amusing…at all. The potential of the effeminate Italian vampire clan was squandered.
  • The CGI looks like poop.
  • Team Edward? Team Jacob? How about Team Let Bella Drive Her Own Damn Truck and Stop Being so Patronizing?
  • A regrettable dearth of good montages. In fact, Ashley and I decided that most of the first part of the movie could have been replaced with some very good montages. Apparently, the filmmakers felt otherwise.
  • I get it. The characters are brooding. Enough. (Admittedly, there wasn’t much character development to work with because Twilight is one of the worst written series ever.)

…But I mean, hey, if you like awkward sexual tension (i.e. vampires who look like they’re constantly suffering from painful erections) and exploitation of adolescent bodies, New Moon might be the film for you!

In other news, I got my hair cut after six months of unchecked follicular growth. As Roommate Tina and I later concluded, stylists really enjoy styling Asian hair. Maybe because it’s always so straight. In any event, here’s how I looked when I returned from the salon (like a FOB):


Finally, a package of Christmas goodies arrived from Kim!

(The dog didn’t want to be in the photo, so once again,
Birdt the parrot is standing in for scale purposes.)
Thanks, Kim, for this basket of Christmas tasties. I haven’t gotten a chance to taste everything yet, but the frosted sugar cookies were delicious!

Mom and Steve were very excited! They thank you too!


Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Among many things, I’m thankful that I don’t have an over-possessive vampire boyfriend.

Carry me back to old Virginia.

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After two days of driving (We’re not hardcore drivers.), the boyfriend and I arrived safely in Richmond. I started kicking and screaming with excitement when we crossed the Virginia state line.

Then I made the boyfriend pull over at a “scenic overlook” right off of the highway:


Later, we stopped for gas, and I wondered about “braziers”. (I continue to think that this term is homophonous with the woman’s undergarment, but I am apparently incorrect.)


Today, it rained and was miserable. I didn’t run. (Bad!) Tomorrow, I plan to take full advantage of all the pretty Richmond sights and cover at least a few miles. I might as well enjoy running on the East Coast while I can…

Most of the day was spent shopping with my mom. I don’t like to shop very often, so it’s good to get necessary items while supporting local businesses and spending time with family. I ended up buying some rain galoshes that fit my over my meaty calves as well as new bras. (Yay, being felt up by sales ladies!)

I also got my teeth cleaned. While he was scraping plaque and other nice things off my canines, my dentist told me that his daughter had just completed her first Ironman in North Carolina, where she came in 3rd place for all women. He was even nice enough to sound impressed that I had just struggled through my first marathon, haha.

For dinner, I went out with Mom, Mom’s boyfriend Steve, Dad, and stepmom Pat. This once again confirmed how lucky I am to have four parents who get along so well.

Later, Mom and I also attempted to bake a chocolate cake. For some reason or another (I blame the rain!), the cakes didn’t want to come out of the pans.


I screamed.


Not to be deterred by the cakes’ adherences to the pans, we instead made some kind of cake mush/trifle. This involved putting the overly moist cake bits into a large bowl and smothering everything in homemade frosting.

(That’s my parrot Birdt in the background for scale.)

Ah, romance.

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Earlier this week, I pulled out my awesome lunchbox:

(Lentil & potato curry, pickled daikon cubes,
apple slices, grapes)

Today, Lena and I went on a nice, longer (longer than we’ve done in awhile) run before we are separated for an entire week. It was finally cool AND dry, so the stage was set for some decent miles. Here are our splits:
  • Mile 1 – 10:02
  • Mile 2 – 10:04
  • Mile 3 – 9:55
  • Mile 4 – 9:44
  • Mile 5 – 9:55
  • Mile 6 – 9:41
  • 0.13-mile – 1:06

Today is also, more or less, my six-year anniversary with the boyfriend.

We celebrated by eating barbecue because (1) it is delicious, (2) there aren’t good restaurants around here, and (3) we’re romantic like that.



We also celebrated by taking terrible photos:

It is a big pet-peeve when the flash reflects awkwardly
off my cheekbones, giving me “dough face”.

We also ate DQ ice cream with Brian and Dan:


And were racially insulted by drunk and/or high teenagers. (“I hate Asians!”)

Tomorrow, we start the driving journey back to Virginia for Thanksgiving break. Now, I’m going to go pack the car with all the books I have to take with me. :(

Thank goodness for running buddies!

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Today, though we weren’t striking, Mother Nature continued to be a bitch. I convinced myself to push my run back and spend the morning cleaning up vowel boundaries for my experiment.


Since we’re keeping the heat low to save money, I am always cold in the apartment. Thus, the idea of going out into the cold rain seemed even less appealing this afternoon.

Fortunately, Lena and I had made a plan to run together, which was the only thing that got me out the door today. As is always the case, getting out the door was the worst part, and once we were running, it wasn’t so bad.

We even ran negative splits!

  • Mile 1 – 10:32
  • Mile 2 – 10:03
  • Mile 3 – 10:05
  • Mile 4 – 9:52
  • Mile 5 – 9:24

When I got home, my fingers were frozen and tingling. For the next hour, my typing consisted of banging my numb, meaty hands against the keyboard, hoping to spell out something intelligible.

Now, I am going to bed.

Several circular miles later, we are done!

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It’s like a race report, but for striking.

After two days of picketing in front of four major university buildings, we have success! Our tuition waivers are pretty safe for the next three years, so I can continue pursuing my graduate degree under the original terms of my acceptance.

Bottom line: striking involves a lot of walking.

On Monday, I marched on picket lines for four+ hours straight, starting at 7:45am. Despite the wind, rain, and chilly temperatures, morale was pretty high, and we spent most of the morning banging on drums, chanting, and marching in circles.

I estimate that I walked at least eight miles. Good thing it was my cross-training day.

Fortunately, striking is the national pastime of France, so the French students showed us how it’s done. Sadly, no cars were overturned or set ablaze. We learned that the French chant is “Pas content!” (‘Not content/happy!’), which is general enough to cover the many strikes that occur on a weekly basis.

Amusing conversation from the picket lines:
Me: Do you feel like you’re at home in France?
Marie-Édith (French officemate): Yes, very. But in France, we do not turn around (=walk in circles). It is very strange.

When I came home, I made a big pot of beef stew and corn muffins:


I also made blueberry muffins from a King Arthur mix.


This morning, Mother Nature continued to shit all over the strike. The temperatures hovered in the low 40′s with a brutal wind chill and non-stop rain. I wore an Under Armour long-sleeve shirt, a long-sleeve tech shirt, two t-shirts, and my Columbia jacket, and I was still quite chilly.

At 1pm, we marched en masse.



When the results of the bargaining session were announced, we cheered loudly and chanted:



“The workers united will never be defeated!”

French department, represent!

(Do you like my dork-tastic bag?)

Between the terrible weather and the strike, I have not run in two days. Hopefully, I can get back to running tomorrow. At least I did plenty of marching…

Silent but deadly Sunday.

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It has been a busy and eventful weekend.

Yesterday began with refreshing morning trot-and-walk with Lena, some clever business talk at a local gym, and a trip to the Korean grocery store. (My new tactic is to copy down the Hangul names of things and search of the same characters on the food packages. Yay for fake literacy!)

Later, the boyfriend and I went to the rally by the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) before a contract bargaining session with the University administration.

Unfortunately, after six hours of negotiations, the administration and the GEO could not come to a satisfactory agreement about the nature of tuition waivers for graduate students. This means that in just under eight hours, the GEO will go on strike. What an interesting kick-off to the week before Thanksgiving break!


Later, Liz (pictured above) and I attended a university performance of The Marriage of Figaro. I had never been to an opera before, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. My neighbor Ingrid, who owns Missy, played a major role, and it was a pleasant surprise to hear her beautiful soprano voice.

This morning, I ran five miles as my “long” run. Unfortunately, it was a bad day for my knee, so I’m glad I kept things short. Here are my splits:

  • Mile 1 – 10:29
  • Mile 2 – 9:50
  • Mile 3 – 9:54
  • Mile 4 – 9:20
  • Mile 5 – 9:38

Later, I worked on Phonetics and Phonology with Chris. Look what I get to do! (Run scripts!)


Like everyone’s favorite old French hero, my brain started leaking out of my ears after trying to keep all my material straight.

Fortunately, [relatively] clean-shaven Chris was there to keep me company:


Missy also joined in on the Phonetics fun, though she nearly asphyxiated us with a series of silent but noxious emissions.


Off to bed. I’m interested to see how this strike goes tomorrow. Too bad it will be cold, windy, and rainy all day…

A glimpse into the funny-looking past.

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It is cold in the apartment. (In fact, I’m probably going to get a fatherly lecture over Thanksgiving break about the importance of insulating our basement.) Since I am cold from the moment I crawl out of bed, the idea of going for a run in anything less than a flannel-lined parka is pretty unappealing.

I have, understandably, been doing a lot of my runs in the evening. Consequently, I still need that headlamp…Any suggestions as to which brand and model? I’m looking at the cheapest Petzl Tikka model.

Here are my splits from today’s easy three-miler:

  • Mile 1 – 10:44
  • Mile 2 – 10:17
  • Mile 3 – 9:35
  • 0.02-mile tidbit – 0:12

Suffice to say, I am no Speedy Gonzales right now/ever, but at least I’m still running negative splits. After Christmas, I’ll look into training for a Half PR at the Illinois Half Marathon in the spring. (Jessica, are you ready to drag my ass around for some speedwork?) In the mean time, I’m letting my body take as much time as it wants to heal.

I probably won’t run the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving because I don’t trust my knee yet. Since the course is hilly, I’ll probably forgo the race this year and go for an easy run on my own. I should probably make a pact with Lena to run on Thanksgiving before stuffing myself with pie… (You hear that, Lena?)

I didn’t take any interesting pictures today, so I thought I’d share some great photos from the high school track team that are circulating on Facebook.

The boyfriend is lurking in the shadows behind #280, our good friend Daniel. He ran Boston in 2007. I had a big crush on the boy standing behind #281. We’re still friends.


I hated running in high school because I too out of shape to do it. Consequently, I was team “manager” for the track team. Most of the time, I was given a stop watch and allowed to press the buttons to my heart’s content.

Oh, straight-across bangs. Why?!?

Oh hey, a strike is comin’!

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First, Happy Veterans’ Day/Armistice day…or rather, thank you, Veterans!

And in commercial holidays, it is also apparently National Pepero Day, in which people give each other thin cookie sticks. (The “11″ in the date looks like two thin sticks.) I learned something!

Speaking of food, on Monday, I made favorite noodle dish: japchae (cellophane noodles with stir-fried vegetables). Lena came over to sample the one Korean dish I can make, and she was nice enough to send me this picture. (I may or may not have wolfed down my serving before I remembered my camera.)


Look at me, being such a good Korean this week! Now that the marathon is over, I have plenty of extra time to rack up cultural points.

Today, I ran four miles. It was dark, and I almost fell flat on my face. One my big fears is falling while running and knocking out all of my teeth. After I finish this post, I will buy myself a headlamp. Here are my splits:

  • Mile 1 – 10:45 (Dear legs, please move!)
  • Mile 2 – 9:52
  • Mile 3 – 9:52
  • Mile 4 – 9:54
  • 0.03-mile tidbit – 0:17

Finally, if you have been following my sporadic Twitter usage, you may be aware that our grad student union voted in authorization of a strike to occur in the coming week. I am not clear on all the details of the contract negotiation, nor on the finer points of a work action. However, I am excited to see how things pan out in the next few days, especially since I have never been involved in anything of this nature before. Ultimately, though, I hope that the University and the GEO can come to some sort of compromise. (I think there are more than a few undergraddies out there who are hoping that their TAs go on strike. Oh, college.)


True story.