600th post

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Mica

The weather channel is all about the sensationalism today:

I was all excited about the sun on Thursday…until I saw that the high was 9ºF.

Also, there is a winter storm warning that forecasts this:

“MINOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN ONE QUARTER INCH ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THEN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.”

Good thing I did two workouts today. First, Aileen and I did a recovery run of three miles:

10:04
10:17
9:49

This evening, we attended Dan’s “BodyBlitz” class. I will once again be reduced to sore muscles and whining tomorrow.

Will you be impacted by the massive winter storm? Apparently, one-third of the country will feel the effects. Get thyself to the store and buy some bread, milk, and peanut butter! Oh, and candles! And firewood! And a shovel!

Wonderful Korean Lunch

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Mica

This morning, Jessica and I both broke the double-digit barrier for the first time in many weeks (months, in Jessica’s case). It almost felt like spring because the sun peeked out occasionally, and a few birds thawed out their voices enough to chirp.

Jessica kept the pace pretty brisk for me, and I was worried that I would die by the end. I was pretty done, but I hung on until my Garmin beeped the 10-mile mark.

9:03
9:18
9:03
9:12
9:08
9:17
9:12
9:19
9:08
9:09

You can definitely see where we ran up some inclines.

WooChul, one of my former students, invited me to have lunch with him, his wife, and their six-year-old son today. In honor of the New Year, he told me that his wife was going to make traditional rice cake soup. However, I was greeted by more than just soup: noodle stir-fry, spicy rice-cakes in red sauce, spinach salad, kimchi, pickles, and kimbap. I forgot to take a picture, but trust me–it was a huge spread of delicious homemade Korean food.

It was nice to spend time with WooChul now that he is no longer my student. He told me that he really enjoyed my class and hopes that I will come to Korea to each. He also said that he thinks I should get a job in Korean broadcasting because I have an expressive face. Ha!

For dessert, we had something called a “Great Depression Cake.” Apparently, this cake originated in the American Great Depression due to the shortage of expensive baking items. Thus, it contains no eggs, milk, or butter. I had never heard of this cake before, but WooChul’s wife informed me that it is very popular in Korean housewife circles.

(They were concerned that I would be uncomfortable sitting on the floor and eating Korean food, but I assured them that it was great!)

Jiwoon, their son, was happy to speak English with me (He attends public school here.). He also insisted on cutting the cake into eighths (and eating two slices). I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for Asian kids, but I think this picture is pretty much the most adorable thing ever:

After lunch, Jiwoon showed me his toys while I talked to WooChul and his wife. Then we tried to take a picture with the timer, but Jiwoon missed it:

Here’s a better one!

Even though I got very little work done today, I am very happy with my Sunday and only mildly stressed about the start of the week tomorrow. It was really great to spend time with a family, especially one with a funny little kid. I hope to see them more in the future!

How was your Sunday?

Korean lunch #1

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Mica

Aileen and I kicked off our Saturday with a six-miler. I even managed to find a “hill” that we trotted over in the last third of our run. The sun came out (momentarily) to show its approval of our hard work.

10:24
10:00
9:51
9:55
9:43
9:33

Later, the boyfriend and I met Jin, Jee-Hae, and Jenna for Korean lunch.

제 친구: 진하고 지헤

Jenna and the boyfriend sat on the “white” half of the table:

Like the good non-Koreans that they are, Jenna and the boyfriend both ordered bulgogi (Korean barbecue). It is seriously a gigantic, delicious plate of beef:

“해리슨”은 맛있는 불고기를 만히먹었어요!

Long run day tomorrow, wheee!

Have you had bulgogi before?

I learn cross-overs.

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Mica

My life seems un-bloggable right now, mostly because I am trying to settle into a palatable routine for the rest of the semester. I love to make routines and plans. In fact, I spent an hour last night writing out a training plan for the winter-to-spring transition.

In any event, one part of my routine is my Thursday evening “Learn-to-Skate” class. So far, we have learned:

Two-foot glides
One-foot glides
Snow plow stops
Forward swizzles
Backward swizzles
Basic stroking
Pumping

This week, we learned the basics of cross-overs. (You know, that move where skaters gracefully pick up one foot and cross it over the other?) My attempts were clunky, but at least I didn’t fall.

Here is a drawing:

Next week is our last class of the “winter session.” We will be evaluated on our progress and told what level to take in the “spring session.” I’m a little nervous (because, you know, so many things hinge on this), so I should book some practice time into my schedule for the coming week.

Also in my routine: running and gym time. Aileen and I went out for a five-miler this morning. The roads still suck.

9:59
10:18
10:06
10:06
10:25

Do you love making plans and routines or are you spontaneous?

(In other news, it has been several days since I have seen the sun. This weather is depressing.)

Student feedback

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Mica

We finally got the results of our student feedback forms from last semester. Most of my students just filled out the Likert-scale questions (Strongly agree to strongly disagree), which are good for gauging my effectiveness as an instructor. (They filled out the forms anonymously.)

However, I also got a few comments on the back of sheets. One student wrote something really sweet and encouraging:

“Mica is fantastic instructor in terms of all respects.”

Another comment was grammatically correct but culturally loaded:

“She is always energetic and gives pleasure to me.”

Finally, in regards to my weakness(es), I got this:

“Her face looked scary.”

Well, you can’t make everybody like you…

Additionally, I ran into one of my former students at the ice rink while I was practicing yesterday. He invited me to come over for Korean lunch on Sunday with his family. In honor of 설날 (Korean New Year), which is next week, his wife will prepare a traditional Korean meal, including 떡국 or duk gook (rice cake soup). So nice, right?

Did you give honest feedback to your college instructors?

I attempt push-ups.

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Mica

Last semester, I thought I was doing really well with my push-up count. Then an exercise physiologist at the school informed me that my arms were wide and my elbows splayed out the sides. Apparently, I was not good at push-ups; I was good at making the workload easier for myself.

Tonight, I went to Dan’s fitness class at the gym. It was quite difficult. I’m not in too much pain right now, but I imagine that dressing myself will be a challenge tomorrow.

I didn’t bring a camera, but this is pretty much how I looked at the end of the class. We had to do push-ups.

How do you like to workout (besides running)? Group fitness? Weight room? Exercise DVDs?

Fashionable long run

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Mica

This morning, Jessica accompanied me on my long run. The roads were gross for the first part of the run, and we had some harrowing experiences running into oncoming traffic. All in all, our splits were decent and don’t really reflect the bitter winter wind that blasted us for the second half of the route. We ended up running nine miles.

9:26
9:17
9:08
9:02
9:08
9:06
9:11
9:07
9:19

I may have turned funny on some slippery cobblestones in the last mile because my left knee started feeling tight. I foam rolled it when I got back and wore my knee sleeve all day. Let’s hope that this doesn’t become the apartment of inflamed IT bands, eh?

It was about 10ºF when we left this morning, with a windchill of -1ºF. Jessica and I are masters of dressing for the cold.

Red shorts go with a purple jacket, right?

Later, as a reward for reading all of my students’ diagnostics, I registered for the IU Mini Marathon. I’m not sure why they call it a “mini” because it’s a half marathon. In any event, my lovely triplet Bethany is also running the race, so we will be reunited! Finally, the race is on my 25th birthday, so it will be an ideal way to mark my quarter-century of existence. (I will try to remember this as I drag my leaden legs up and down the hilly course.)

Do you wear shorts over your tights on cold days?

Puffy coat

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Mica

Yesterday marked one of the coldest days that I have experienced while living here in my life. When I woke up and took Bodger out, it was -10º, and it warmed to only -4º when I left for campus. The high was 5º or so.

That kind of cold makes your ears burn.

Fortunately, when I returned home, I had a package waiting for me: a new coat! Before moving here, I thought that I would attempt some semblance of style in my wardrobe. Then I realized that (1) I have no fashion sense and (2) it is too cold to be fashionable–all you can hope for is survival.

The boyfriend says that I look “super Asian” in this coat, especially with the hood up. At least I don’t look like every sorority girl in the world wearing a North Face parka…

외투!

Last night, I was unapologetic about making a ridiculous dessert: Paula Deen’s “Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake.” (Thanks to Jessica for finding the recipe.)

The cake lived up to its name; it was gooey and chocolate-y. I brought it out to celebrate French Department Sarah’s birthday. I’m pretty sure that we were the envy of the bar.

Do you have cute or functional winter wear? Maybe you live in a climate where they are the same….

Downhill Morning

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Mica

This is how it went down:

5:30am – Alarm goes off, and I almost hit the snooze button. I stop my hand mid-air and drag myself out of bed five minutes later.
6:30am – Aileen picks me up, and we head to the gym.
6:55am – I start my tempo run on the treadmill: one-mile warm-up followed by four miles at 8:57 pace and one-mile cool-down
8:15am – Aileen and I squeal in the car because driving in the snow is terrifying.
8:45am – I discover a slightly damp spot on the comforter, indicating that Bodger must have peed on the couch a few days ago. [This is the worst because you haven't caught him in the act and can't punish him.]
8:51am – I spill a half-full carton of blueberries on the floor. The blueberries roll everywhere because they are shaped like evil, squishy marbles. Bodger tries to eat them all before being corralled into his crate.
8:52am – The boyfriend calmly assures me that we are not giving Bodger back to his breeder. (I am meanwhile on the verge of being inconsolable about our stubborn, spite-peeing dog.)
8:53am – Bodger is re-released from his create.
9:04am – I manage to fling a spoonful of oatmeal onto the baseboard of the wall while gesticulating wildly. I decide to let Bodger eat it. He is too dumb to figure out how to do this.
9:16am – I leave to catch the bus.
9:22am – The bus is supposed to arrive. It doesn’t.
9:30am – The boyfriend calls to say that the bus has disappeared from the schedule.
9:40am – The boyfriend drives me to school.
10am – First Korean quiz of the semester.

In short, if it weren’t for Aileen and the boyfriend, I would most certainly have lost my damn mind this Thursday morning.

Here’s to a better Friday morning!

(At least I got a decent tempo in, right?)

On the trainer

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Mica

I rode the trainer for 30 minutes this morning while watching a Korean drama called Pasta (with sub-titles, obviously). Thus, I not only got a workout, but I also practiced my Korean listening.

I actually watch the dramas on my computer, so this is a “computer-view” of what I must have looked like:

…except I was in shorts and a sports bra, sweating all over the rug.

Later, I ran two miles so that I could shake my legs out and go to the post office. Here are my two splits:

9:25
9:17

We are supposed to get 4″-6″ of snow tonight, which will be a ginormous pain in my bottom tomorrow. It looks like Aileen at I will be hitting up the gym tomorrow.

Dear Just-Returned Undergraduates,

If you take my machine,

I will eat you.

Love, Mica

What time do you go to bed? I’m aiming for 10:30pm this week. We’ll see if this is do-able once the workload increases.

MicaPie

À la mode.

Monthly Archives: January 2011