That's what I get
I am still *very* sore from Sunday's half marathon.
I was probably in good enough shape to comfortably keep a 9:30 pace. Instead, thanks to Rachel, I kept just a few seconds faster than a 9:00 pace.
It felt good to push my body beyond what it felt comfortable doing. I felt young, strong, and proud.
Now, however, I feel old and in pain. Those 30 seconds per mile total only 6:33 in total time. But boy do those minutes matter.
I think I will replace this morning's run with composing this post and yoga.
Mind you, this means I'm basically skipping my very first run on the training schedule I made myself for some gorgeous fall long runs, culminating in another marathon.
If any of those runs look fun to you, lemme know, I always love to have company at the start, finish, etc. and I'll cheer for you if I see you, regardless of whether you leave me behind, keep my pace, or run a more zenlike pace than I do (which, I can attest, will lead to less pain in the quads and hamstrings).
July 31, 2007
July 29, 2007
In my thirties
Several people this weekend informed me that now that I'm 31, I'm "in my thirties."
Who knew?
Apparently, 30, isn't 30's.
To celebrate, I did a few things.
First, I threw a fit and blamed E for my missing passport. Then I realized I was just transferring my lost passport to the reality of my lost dad and felt sheepish. Yes, a lost passport is a pain in the ass, but it's nothing compared to the pain of the reality that Dad's not gonna call this birthday.
So, I turned off my phone.
Oddly, it made it all better. After a fabulous birthday dinner and before an early bedtime, I checked my messages. I felt loved. I called them all back the next day when I was in a better mood.
In fact, the only soul who had to deal with me in my funk was E.
Saintly, that boy is.
In other news, I love the Cliff Bar Pace Team. Especially Rachel.
Due to Rachel's cajoling, conversation, encouragement, and will, I took my under-trained body on a less than 2-hours half marathon course despite being in sub-par shape and a pre-race dinner of a full four courses of amazing, decadent Italian food (with 4 cheese selections as dessert) plus imported and decanted wine at Acquarello. The servers and owners were willing to speak about food and share tidbits that were extra little birthday presents: the introduction to Gattinara, the queen to the king of Barolo and prince of Barbaresco, and the knowledge that the good Burrata arrives at A.G. Ferrari every other Saturday.
I wouldn't change any of it for the world, it was a perfect Birthday Weekend. (Rachel, Good luck with your book and I hope to see you again, soon!)
There is nothing like living it up before crossing the finish line with a nice time to make you feel young on your birthday. Plus, today, I called and visited those who'd contacted me in the last 2 days regarding my birthday. Because, predictably, I was over my funk.
At least for the meanwhile.
Several people this weekend informed me that now that I'm 31, I'm "in my thirties."
Who knew?
Apparently, 30, isn't 30's.
To celebrate, I did a few things.
First, I threw a fit and blamed E for my missing passport. Then I realized I was just transferring my lost passport to the reality of my lost dad and felt sheepish. Yes, a lost passport is a pain in the ass, but it's nothing compared to the pain of the reality that Dad's not gonna call this birthday.
So, I turned off my phone.
Oddly, it made it all better. After a fabulous birthday dinner and before an early bedtime, I checked my messages. I felt loved. I called them all back the next day when I was in a better mood.
In fact, the only soul who had to deal with me in my funk was E.
Saintly, that boy is.
In other news, I love the Cliff Bar Pace Team. Especially Rachel.
Due to Rachel's cajoling, conversation, encouragement, and will, I took my under-trained body on a less than 2-hours half marathon course despite being in sub-par shape and a pre-race dinner of a full four courses of amazing, decadent Italian food (with 4 cheese selections as dessert) plus imported and decanted wine at Acquarello. The servers and owners were willing to speak about food and share tidbits that were extra little birthday presents: the introduction to Gattinara, the queen to the king of Barolo and prince of Barbaresco, and the knowledge that the good Burrata arrives at A.G. Ferrari every other Saturday.
I wouldn't change any of it for the world, it was a perfect Birthday Weekend. (Rachel, Good luck with your book and I hope to see you again, soon!)
There is nothing like living it up before crossing the finish line with a nice time to make you feel young on your birthday. Plus, today, I called and visited those who'd contacted me in the last 2 days regarding my birthday. Because, predictably, I was over my funk.
At least for the meanwhile.
July 25, 2007
Gross!
Last night was designated healthy night #2 for the week.
E and I generally do two healthy nights a week. Mellow night together at home. Light food. No alcohol. One with yoga, the other with sit-ups and push-ups if we motivate, otherwise, just light food. Both nights focus on an attempt at early sleep.
Monday was healthy night #1. Predictably, I was late leaving work, so I pulled one of my favorite tricks and made a quick detour to our local market/deli where I scored a 1/2 pint of marinated beets, onions, and parsely plus a couple of ciabatta roles. At home, quickly, we composed a dinner of washed and ripped dark leafy greens topped with the beet mixture, some good olive oil, and bread on the side. Also predictably, we skipped the calisthenics.
Mmmm.... delicious *and* relaxing.
Last night was supposed to be healthy night #2 for the week.
I planned to use the remainder of the greens, topped with fresh basil from my plant, red onions, various hard cheese shavings, and some balsamic and olive oil. Again, I planned to serve bread on the side, only this time, heated in the oven from the freezer.
I arrived home, pre-heated the oven, placed the frozen bread on the stove, and unwrapped the lettuce, which I had wrapped in paper towels after washing it the day prior.
The first leaf, I tore into small pieces and split evenly between our bowls. The second leaf, however, appeared to have some dirt on it. So, I brushed it off with the paper towel, wondering how the washing I had given the lettuce had missed such large dirt chunks. I ripped that leaf into chunks as well.
Leaf 3, however, was *very* dirty.
Oh. Wait a minute. That's not dirt. That's larvae.
I peeled back the inner leaves to reveal a veritable colony of eggs and flies.
DIS-GUST-ING.
Not quite as disgusting as the Great Grain Moth Debacle.
But certainly disgusting enough to make a person not feel like being remotely healthy.
So, we did what you'd expect, we rescheduled healthy/yoga night (because there was no other light food in the house) and went out for Mexican food and margaritas (to kill the bugs we ate last night, you see...) instead.
Last night was designated healthy night #2 for the week.
E and I generally do two healthy nights a week. Mellow night together at home. Light food. No alcohol. One with yoga, the other with sit-ups and push-ups if we motivate, otherwise, just light food. Both nights focus on an attempt at early sleep.
Monday was healthy night #1. Predictably, I was late leaving work, so I pulled one of my favorite tricks and made a quick detour to our local market/deli where I scored a 1/2 pint of marinated beets, onions, and parsely plus a couple of ciabatta roles. At home, quickly, we composed a dinner of washed and ripped dark leafy greens topped with the beet mixture, some good olive oil, and bread on the side. Also predictably, we skipped the calisthenics.
Mmmm.... delicious *and* relaxing.
Last night was supposed to be healthy night #2 for the week.
I planned to use the remainder of the greens, topped with fresh basil from my plant, red onions, various hard cheese shavings, and some balsamic and olive oil. Again, I planned to serve bread on the side, only this time, heated in the oven from the freezer.
I arrived home, pre-heated the oven, placed the frozen bread on the stove, and unwrapped the lettuce, which I had wrapped in paper towels after washing it the day prior.
The first leaf, I tore into small pieces and split evenly between our bowls. The second leaf, however, appeared to have some dirt on it. So, I brushed it off with the paper towel, wondering how the washing I had given the lettuce had missed such large dirt chunks. I ripped that leaf into chunks as well.
Leaf 3, however, was *very* dirty.
Oh. Wait a minute. That's not dirt. That's larvae.
I peeled back the inner leaves to reveal a veritable colony of eggs and flies.
DIS-GUST-ING.
Not quite as disgusting as the Great Grain Moth Debacle.
But certainly disgusting enough to make a person not feel like being remotely healthy.
So, we did what you'd expect, we rescheduled healthy/yoga night (because there was no other light food in the house) and went out for Mexican food and margaritas (to kill the bugs we ate last night, you see...) instead.
July 23, 2007
Big Week
For those of you taking the California bar this week, I wish you all the best. It is my opinion that it's not a test of law at all, but rather a test of composure and performance under stress. So, if you get stuck, I suggest you remind yourself that you have exactly two jobs while you are in that oh-so-comfortable seat, surrounded by stress-cadets:
breath and type (or write)
That's it. If you do that, and you know a bit of law (which you probably do, since you probably totally over-studied), you will be fine.
Over here in lawyer land, I'll be going through a similar exercise. I am pretty sure that I have more work lined up for the next 5 days than I have for any week thus far as a lawyer, except, maybe, during the 18-days-straight-on-the-merger-from-hell.
This time, I helped create my situation by insisting that I get a weekend. I needed it. Particularly, because I needed to be with my sister and brother (and niece!) for a day of remembrance of dad in preparation for the sad reality of the one year anniversary of his death. I did no work yesterday. Instead, I woke early, showered at brother's, went to the grocery store and bought roses for dad (and a balloon for my niece), and went to the cemetery.
The cemetery we chose is gorgeous. Up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, surrounded by trees and under a perfect blue sky, we hugged and cried and told stories of our favorite memories of dad. We left the roses (sister brought some too) and the balloon amongst the more permanent items that people have left.
I felt such a sense of relief after my tears fell. I'm glad we decided to do this ceremony of sorts before the actual anniversary. I feel more prepared to handle what will undoubtedly be a sad, sad, day.
After our shared sadness, we shared food and a beer at dad's favorite deli. We languished in the heat. We visited our mother at her new house and I smiled while brother and niece swam in the pool, playing childhood summer water games.
After the long drive home, I couldn't bring myself to work. I was exhausted from a weekend of recruiting events and emotional release.
Instead, I read the binders of recipes I got from my mom containing recipes my grandmother had collected over the years. What gems! Then, I had a nice long phone conversation with jaykay while I cooked dinner, a luxury in which I hadn't indulged in a very long time.
For dinner, I created a delicious spicy-bacon-swiss risotto. Not exactly healthy, but I figured I needed the wife points for the week that's in the pipeline. It was delicious and E finished the whole pan with gusto.
I was asleep before 10 PM.
And now, my friends, I'm preparing for the week of battle. I suspect I'll have 5 *very* long days. My non-law goals for the next 5 days are: 1) to still fit in my taper runs before next week's race; 2) to be present and not distracted with E for at least 30 minutes each day; and 3) to get enough sleep.
Wish me luck.
For those of you taking the California bar this week, I wish you all the best. It is my opinion that it's not a test of law at all, but rather a test of composure and performance under stress. So, if you get stuck, I suggest you remind yourself that you have exactly two jobs while you are in that oh-so-comfortable seat, surrounded by stress-cadets:
breath and type (or write)
That's it. If you do that, and you know a bit of law (which you probably do, since you probably totally over-studied), you will be fine.
Over here in lawyer land, I'll be going through a similar exercise. I am pretty sure that I have more work lined up for the next 5 days than I have for any week thus far as a lawyer, except, maybe, during the 18-days-straight-on-the-merger-from-hell.
This time, I helped create my situation by insisting that I get a weekend. I needed it. Particularly, because I needed to be with my sister and brother (and niece!) for a day of remembrance of dad in preparation for the sad reality of the one year anniversary of his death. I did no work yesterday. Instead, I woke early, showered at brother's, went to the grocery store and bought roses for dad (and a balloon for my niece), and went to the cemetery.
The cemetery we chose is gorgeous. Up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, surrounded by trees and under a perfect blue sky, we hugged and cried and told stories of our favorite memories of dad. We left the roses (sister brought some too) and the balloon amongst the more permanent items that people have left.
I felt such a sense of relief after my tears fell. I'm glad we decided to do this ceremony of sorts before the actual anniversary. I feel more prepared to handle what will undoubtedly be a sad, sad, day.
After our shared sadness, we shared food and a beer at dad's favorite deli. We languished in the heat. We visited our mother at her new house and I smiled while brother and niece swam in the pool, playing childhood summer water games.
After the long drive home, I couldn't bring myself to work. I was exhausted from a weekend of recruiting events and emotional release.
Instead, I read the binders of recipes I got from my mom containing recipes my grandmother had collected over the years. What gems! Then, I had a nice long phone conversation with jaykay while I cooked dinner, a luxury in which I hadn't indulged in a very long time.
For dinner, I created a delicious spicy-bacon-swiss risotto. Not exactly healthy, but I figured I needed the wife points for the week that's in the pipeline. It was delicious and E finished the whole pan with gusto.
I was asleep before 10 PM.
And now, my friends, I'm preparing for the week of battle. I suspect I'll have 5 *very* long days. My non-law goals for the next 5 days are: 1) to still fit in my taper runs before next week's race; 2) to be present and not distracted with E for at least 30 minutes each day; and 3) to get enough sleep.
Wish me luck.
July 16, 2007
A tale of two cookings
My weekend of relaxation and less than one hour of work involved much food, as you would expect. There was the walk to mediterranean food for Friday night date night, which supplanted the 6 mile run that was scheduled. Then there was the Saturday brunch of bacon, bean sprout, red pepper, cucumber, green curry salad. It was delicious, and it utilized some of the latest, inspiring bacon shipment (mmmm... pepper bacon). It wasn't too heavy, so we were able to strike out on a 6 mile bike ride (it should have been longer, but the wind, and the laziness... how can you fight it?)
The salad & bike-ride combo also left us hungry for a big caloric dinner. And thus, at 8 PM or so, we headed to our local Mexican joint for Saturday night dinner. 2 baskets of chips later, my food finally arrived. Let's just say I finished my mole enchiladas with pleasure, and I was sufficiently carbo-loaded for Sunday's run.
Sunday, I woke at 8 AM and knew I should leave immediately. It was going to be hot, you see. But, instead, I checked my work email, I reviewed a client request, I checked my personal email, and the next thing I knew, it was 8:30. Quickly, I snuck into the bedroom, kissed E goodbye, told him I'd be back before 11:00 AM and headed out for my slow 12 miler. It was the slowest and most enjoyable walk-breaks 12-miles I've ever done. (Hey, sometimes, you've just got to put in the miles as prep, and as we know, I've signed up for the SF 2nd half, so, I don't really have much of a choice if I actually want to enjoy the race.) From there, I headed to the local farmer's market...
Sunday night, after a day with the girls (starting with a brunch of multiple types of the best kinds of pork buns, and finishing with a day at the spa and a large group at a Vietnamese fusion joint), I was ready to go back to a day of light food.
Healthy, but delicious. I vaguely recalled that those adjectives could jointly be a reality. My scale, of course, couldn't recall this. Instead, it registered numbers that I hadn't seen since returning from the holidays in Atlanta.
Ouch.
In recognition of this reality, I present two recipes: the first, a very healthy filling recipe; the second, a not-so-healthy, but fairly light, make-shift dessert recipe (which, btw, E thinks is disgusting).
Healthy squash fajitas
-1 yellow long squash, sliced in 1/2 cm long slices
-1 yellow spherical squash, sliced in 1/2 cm wide slices
-1 green spherical squash, sliced in 1/2 cm wide slices
-1/2 white/yellow onion, sliced in 1/2 cm wide rings
-olive oil, for cooking
-italian seasoning (marjoram, oregano, etc.)
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-chili powder
-cayenne pepper
-salt and pepper to taste;
-corn tortillas, warmed/steamed in microwave.
1. toss all ingredients except tortillas in a glass casserole pan at room temperature until evenly coated.
2. lay coated squash and onion slices across the grill (panini grill, charcoal grill, grill pan over high heat).
3. When cooked through with dark brown lines across each one (turn, if necessary), transfer squash and onion to a glass serving dish, cover, and bring to the table.
4. Cover 2-3 tortillas per person served in microwave with a towel that has been wetted. Microwave on high for 40 seconds.
5. Serve tortillas garnished with squash and onions, sliced cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice, as well as your favorite salsa.
I will admit, it was one of the more simultaneously delicious and filling meals I've ever enjoyed, and it's well worth the effort, especially if you are high on the comfort zone of weight...
And, for the sake of equal opportunity presentation...
Choco-dillas
1. Take 2 corn tortillas. Place in a wet cloth napkin, wrap evenly, toss in the microwave, for 30 second.
2. Remove tortillas. Lay out one tortilla and evenly spread dark-chocolate chips for even distribution and cover with the second. Place both tortillas, with choco-chips between in the microwave without cover, microwave on high for 30 seconds.
3. Enjoy.
If you care, FWIW, E loved recipe #1. Recipe #2 surprised and disappointed him. he couldn't believe that my look of pleasure was associated with *that* after he tasted it. To each her own....
And that, my friends, is all she wrote. At least tonight.
My weekend of relaxation and less than one hour of work involved much food, as you would expect. There was the walk to mediterranean food for Friday night date night, which supplanted the 6 mile run that was scheduled. Then there was the Saturday brunch of bacon, bean sprout, red pepper, cucumber, green curry salad. It was delicious, and it utilized some of the latest, inspiring bacon shipment (mmmm... pepper bacon). It wasn't too heavy, so we were able to strike out on a 6 mile bike ride (it should have been longer, but the wind, and the laziness... how can you fight it?)
The salad & bike-ride combo also left us hungry for a big caloric dinner. And thus, at 8 PM or so, we headed to our local Mexican joint for Saturday night dinner. 2 baskets of chips later, my food finally arrived. Let's just say I finished my mole enchiladas with pleasure, and I was sufficiently carbo-loaded for Sunday's run.
Sunday, I woke at 8 AM and knew I should leave immediately. It was going to be hot, you see. But, instead, I checked my work email, I reviewed a client request, I checked my personal email, and the next thing I knew, it was 8:30. Quickly, I snuck into the bedroom, kissed E goodbye, told him I'd be back before 11:00 AM and headed out for my slow 12 miler. It was the slowest and most enjoyable walk-breaks 12-miles I've ever done. (Hey, sometimes, you've just got to put in the miles as prep, and as we know, I've signed up for the SF 2nd half, so, I don't really have much of a choice if I actually want to enjoy the race.) From there, I headed to the local farmer's market...
Sunday night, after a day with the girls (starting with a brunch of multiple types of the best kinds of pork buns, and finishing with a day at the spa and a large group at a Vietnamese fusion joint), I was ready to go back to a day of light food.
Healthy, but delicious. I vaguely recalled that those adjectives could jointly be a reality. My scale, of course, couldn't recall this. Instead, it registered numbers that I hadn't seen since returning from the holidays in Atlanta.
Ouch.
In recognition of this reality, I present two recipes: the first, a very healthy filling recipe; the second, a not-so-healthy, but fairly light, make-shift dessert recipe (which, btw, E thinks is disgusting).
Healthy squash fajitas
-1 yellow long squash, sliced in 1/2 cm long slices
-1 yellow spherical squash, sliced in 1/2 cm wide slices
-1 green spherical squash, sliced in 1/2 cm wide slices
-1/2 white/yellow onion, sliced in 1/2 cm wide rings
-olive oil, for cooking
-italian seasoning (marjoram, oregano, etc.)
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-chili powder
-cayenne pepper
-salt and pepper to taste;
-corn tortillas, warmed/steamed in microwave.
1. toss all ingredients except tortillas in a glass casserole pan at room temperature until evenly coated.
2. lay coated squash and onion slices across the grill (panini grill, charcoal grill, grill pan over high heat).
3. When cooked through with dark brown lines across each one (turn, if necessary), transfer squash and onion to a glass serving dish, cover, and bring to the table.
4. Cover 2-3 tortillas per person served in microwave with a towel that has been wetted. Microwave on high for 40 seconds.
5. Serve tortillas garnished with squash and onions, sliced cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice, as well as your favorite salsa.
I will admit, it was one of the more simultaneously delicious and filling meals I've ever enjoyed, and it's well worth the effort, especially if you are high on the comfort zone of weight...
And, for the sake of equal opportunity presentation...
Choco-dillas
1. Take 2 corn tortillas. Place in a wet cloth napkin, wrap evenly, toss in the microwave, for 30 second.
2. Remove tortillas. Lay out one tortilla and evenly spread dark-chocolate chips for even distribution and cover with the second. Place both tortillas, with choco-chips between in the microwave without cover, microwave on high for 30 seconds.
3. Enjoy.
If you care, FWIW, E loved recipe #1. Recipe #2 surprised and disappointed him. he couldn't believe that my look of pleasure was associated with *that* after he tasted it. To each her own....
And that, my friends, is all she wrote. At least tonight.
July 14, 2007
Distraction
Things were reasonably calm at work this week. I was somewhat social. If I get off my butt today and tomorrow according to the miles I've scheduled, I'll actually have my second week over 30 miles in a row, which is something that hasn't happened since January (while I was still training for the marathon).
This week, I was feeling like I had things relatively under control. But we kept getting these pesky calls from one of my credit card companies.
I finally called back only to have the bizarre experience of being asked why I underpaid the minimum payment. The call-center guy appeared to find my response of "Oh I must have misread it, why don't I pay the rest and next month's payment right now?" a bit odd. I'm guessing many people claim to have mis-read their bills. But I imagine at least some of 'em read the bill just fine but don't have the cash to correct the mistake.
I ordinarily pay my credit cards off in full. But this one is in a zero percent interest period, so I figure I'm better off paying the minimum payment and throwing my disposable income at debt that's actually accruing interest (non-governmentally subsidized school loans, I'm looking at you!).
But, even though I'm letting the principle sit, I always pay the minimum payment. I usually round up.
Apparently, sometime last month, when I paid this bill, I rounded down.
E says his least favorite thing about me being busy at work is how distracted I am. How without warning, I'll just fall out of a conversation with him. I believed him, because I feel distracted when work is crazy.
But, I didn't realize just *how* distracted I've let it make me.
Mis-reading a bill and underpaying the amount due? That's absurd.
So, I'm got some new goals. I'm going to try to be better about leaving work at work. Or at least leaving it for hours I've consciously allocated to work. Now that I've been at the firm for almost 3/4 of a year (has it already been that long?) I'm starting to feel more comfortable. And I'm going to use that comfort to start reclaiming the bits of my life that I unconsciously lost.
Here's to less distraction.
Things were reasonably calm at work this week. I was somewhat social. If I get off my butt today and tomorrow according to the miles I've scheduled, I'll actually have my second week over 30 miles in a row, which is something that hasn't happened since January (while I was still training for the marathon).
This week, I was feeling like I had things relatively under control. But we kept getting these pesky calls from one of my credit card companies.
I finally called back only to have the bizarre experience of being asked why I underpaid the minimum payment. The call-center guy appeared to find my response of "Oh I must have misread it, why don't I pay the rest and next month's payment right now?" a bit odd. I'm guessing many people claim to have mis-read their bills. But I imagine at least some of 'em read the bill just fine but don't have the cash to correct the mistake.
I ordinarily pay my credit cards off in full. But this one is in a zero percent interest period, so I figure I'm better off paying the minimum payment and throwing my disposable income at debt that's actually accruing interest (non-governmentally subsidized school loans, I'm looking at you!).
But, even though I'm letting the principle sit, I always pay the minimum payment. I usually round up.
Apparently, sometime last month, when I paid this bill, I rounded down.
E says his least favorite thing about me being busy at work is how distracted I am. How without warning, I'll just fall out of a conversation with him. I believed him, because I feel distracted when work is crazy.
But, I didn't realize just *how* distracted I've let it make me.
Mis-reading a bill and underpaying the amount due? That's absurd.
So, I'm got some new goals. I'm going to try to be better about leaving work at work. Or at least leaving it for hours I've consciously allocated to work. Now that I've been at the firm for almost 3/4 of a year (has it already been that long?) I'm starting to feel more comfortable. And I'm going to use that comfort to start reclaiming the bits of my life that I unconsciously lost.
Here's to less distraction.
July 11, 2007
Metamorphosis
I let it slip today at a firm social event. I flat out said it.
The reality is, my social life and being a lawyer are not able to coexist. So I need to figure out who I want to be, my long term goals, and make a decision between them.
Probably not what you should say at a summer associate event. But none of them heard me. I was commiserating with a fellow member of my team.
I don't think of myself as a particularly social person. But, even so, I am relatively social. I make plans. And, I like to keep them.
Being a lawyer gets in the way of life. Especially if the business you are in is going well at the same time that you are in the traditional ramp-up period. It asks that you reschedule your life around work. It asks that you make sacrifices. It asks that you become someone who places work ahead of at least one of your friends, your family, or your health. The firm, in many ways, would not complain if you put work ahead of all three. The people will tell you to hold your own, and that they don't actually want you to sacrifice all 3, but the messages you receive will occasionally contradict that.
Lately, I've realized that of those three, the first is the one where I'm most willing to budge. If something's got to give, I'll stop being so social. And don't think that makes me very willing--I wouldn't give up my weekly barbeque for bar studies, I was willing to fail the exam before I'd give up my weekly social tradition. Regardless, for me, social life is the first to take the hit, but family and health occasionally also take a hit, even though I guard them with a little more vigilance.
Health, well, it comes in many flavors, non? I'll give an hour of sleep a night or drop my mileage from 20-30 miles per week all the way down to 10-15 before I give up quality time with E. But after a few weeks of low sleep and/or miles, the time with E isn't so quality, 'cause I'm slowly going crazy. I give up yoga night for late night work if it means I'll get date night later in the week, but I can only do it occasionally because lack of yoga starts to hurt after a week or two. Oddly, my eating habits are the one thing that seems to benefit from the lawyer life. The harder I work, the less likely I am to have a heavy lunch, to drink too many calories before bed, or to cook up a heavy delicious meal.
But family? It doesn't come in an easy to sacrifice package. It demands when it feels like it. I very much want to be a good wife. A good sister. A good Aunt. A good daughter. I'll give up my social life, and even some of my health to accomplish this. But what about when the lawyer life conflicts with this one?
For me, when the lawyer life gets in the way of family, that's when I really need to re-evaluate. That's when I have to draw some ugly lines with the comfort that I can't go there, and if that means I get fired, or I'm not considered "partner material" or I'm not going to get a big bonus, that's just fine.
But I'll tell you what.
It's hard.
It's very hard.
I like my job. I like being a lawyer. I like the work. I like the people I work with. I like my social life. I like my health. And I love my family.
Balancing it all has become the focus of this very difficult phase of my life. The only thing I keep telling myself is that it has to get easier. There are people I respect who appear to have good social lives, good health, great family lives and decent careers as lawyers.
The difficult gig is figuring out how to make it work.
I let it slip today at a firm social event. I flat out said it.
The reality is, my social life and being a lawyer are not able to coexist. So I need to figure out who I want to be, my long term goals, and make a decision between them.
Probably not what you should say at a summer associate event. But none of them heard me. I was commiserating with a fellow member of my team.
I don't think of myself as a particularly social person. But, even so, I am relatively social. I make plans. And, I like to keep them.
Being a lawyer gets in the way of life. Especially if the business you are in is going well at the same time that you are in the traditional ramp-up period. It asks that you reschedule your life around work. It asks that you make sacrifices. It asks that you become someone who places work ahead of at least one of your friends, your family, or your health. The firm, in many ways, would not complain if you put work ahead of all three. The people will tell you to hold your own, and that they don't actually want you to sacrifice all 3, but the messages you receive will occasionally contradict that.
Lately, I've realized that of those three, the first is the one where I'm most willing to budge. If something's got to give, I'll stop being so social. And don't think that makes me very willing--I wouldn't give up my weekly barbeque for bar studies, I was willing to fail the exam before I'd give up my weekly social tradition. Regardless, for me, social life is the first to take the hit, but family and health occasionally also take a hit, even though I guard them with a little more vigilance.
Health, well, it comes in many flavors, non? I'll give an hour of sleep a night or drop my mileage from 20-30 miles per week all the way down to 10-15 before I give up quality time with E. But after a few weeks of low sleep and/or miles, the time with E isn't so quality, 'cause I'm slowly going crazy. I give up yoga night for late night work if it means I'll get date night later in the week, but I can only do it occasionally because lack of yoga starts to hurt after a week or two. Oddly, my eating habits are the one thing that seems to benefit from the lawyer life. The harder I work, the less likely I am to have a heavy lunch, to drink too many calories before bed, or to cook up a heavy delicious meal.
But family? It doesn't come in an easy to sacrifice package. It demands when it feels like it. I very much want to be a good wife. A good sister. A good Aunt. A good daughter. I'll give up my social life, and even some of my health to accomplish this. But what about when the lawyer life conflicts with this one?
For me, when the lawyer life gets in the way of family, that's when I really need to re-evaluate. That's when I have to draw some ugly lines with the comfort that I can't go there, and if that means I get fired, or I'm not considered "partner material" or I'm not going to get a big bonus, that's just fine.
But I'll tell you what.
It's hard.
It's very hard.
I like my job. I like being a lawyer. I like the work. I like the people I work with. I like my social life. I like my health. And I love my family.
Balancing it all has become the focus of this very difficult phase of my life. The only thing I keep telling myself is that it has to get easier. There are people I respect who appear to have good social lives, good health, great family lives and decent careers as lawyers.
The difficult gig is figuring out how to make it work.
July 6, 2007
Victory!
At the risk of tempting fate, I'm going to just come out and say it:
I think I figured out the secret to arancini di riso. (It's making a good risotto the day before and forgetting any complicated madness around adding eggs and cheese to "thicken" the mush.)
Wednesday, I made a wonderful risotto from 1/2 a package of this month's bacon shipment, 3/4 of a red onion, 3 cloves of garlic, vialone nano rice, vermouth, chicken broth, beef broth, and a huge bunch of red swiss chard, diced. The onions and chard stems gave a bloodish hue to the concoction, which contrasted nicely with the dark green of the chard leaves.
Thursday, there were leftovers. After fumbling for what I would contribute to barbeque, I remembered my challenge .
So, I hopped in the car and headed to the store for a late-night bread crumbs and safflower oil run. Upon my return, my neighbor knowingly smiled and said, "beer run?" Given my odd compulsion for telling the truth in annoying detail, you can imagine how well that conversation went. Yeah, the neighbors think we're weird.
Anyways, back to the balls.
The risotto from the night before was cold from the overnight in the freezer. I could form perfect spheres between my hands around the cheese chunks without fear of them losing their structure. Now that was more like it. The balls were ready to stay in their shape even *before* frying. A little egg coating. Some bread crumbs. And a few minutes on each side in the safflower oil and I was done.
The only thing I might do differently next time is take the risotto out of the fridge an hour or so before hand so that the cheese is easier to melt in the heat of the medium-hot oil (300F or so), which does not scorch the bread crumbs.
I am pleased to report that my offer of "deep-fried-bacon-rice-cheese ball?" Was not turned down by a single guest at the barbeque. They were a hit. And they were non-exploding finger food. As they were meant to be.
Success!
At the risk of tempting fate, I'm going to just come out and say it:
I think I figured out the secret to arancini di riso. (It's making a good risotto the day before and forgetting any complicated madness around adding eggs and cheese to "thicken" the mush.)
Wednesday, I made a wonderful risotto from 1/2 a package of this month's bacon shipment, 3/4 of a red onion, 3 cloves of garlic, vialone nano rice, vermouth, chicken broth, beef broth, and a huge bunch of red swiss chard, diced. The onions and chard stems gave a bloodish hue to the concoction, which contrasted nicely with the dark green of the chard leaves.
Thursday, there were leftovers. After fumbling for what I would contribute to barbeque, I remembered my challenge .
So, I hopped in the car and headed to the store for a late-night bread crumbs and safflower oil run. Upon my return, my neighbor knowingly smiled and said, "beer run?" Given my odd compulsion for telling the truth in annoying detail, you can imagine how well that conversation went. Yeah, the neighbors think we're weird.
Anyways, back to the balls.
The risotto from the night before was cold from the overnight in the freezer. I could form perfect spheres between my hands around the cheese chunks without fear of them losing their structure. Now that was more like it. The balls were ready to stay in their shape even *before* frying. A little egg coating. Some bread crumbs. And a few minutes on each side in the safflower oil and I was done.
The only thing I might do differently next time is take the risotto out of the fridge an hour or so before hand so that the cheese is easier to melt in the heat of the medium-hot oil (300F or so), which does not scorch the bread crumbs.
I am pleased to report that my offer of "deep-fried-bacon-rice-cheese ball?" Was not turned down by a single guest at the barbeque. They were a hit. And they were non-exploding finger food. As they were meant to be.
Success!
July 4, 2007
Holidaze
A day off in the middle of the week is so civilized, don't you think?
I slept in.
I ran 10 miles for the first time since June 9th. Guess what? It's hot today. And here's another newsflash: I'm a little out of shape. As predicted, my lazy-daze-of-summer program deflated my running fitness. Last weekend, E and I took a gorgeous 16-mile mountain bike ride on the coastal trail, which was fun, and good prep for Tour de Peninsula, but not exactly as demanding as a long run. None-the-less, I woke Sunday morning and convinced myself that the soreness in my legs meant I'd worked them enough for the weekend. I wish I could say that was the only morning in the last month or so where I opted for more time in bed over miles.
So, I've been lazy, I've been working too much, and not exercising as much as I should. I used today's Holiday to get out of that mode, officially, with the first longish run of Summer. It should be interesting to see how much improvement I can make in my 4 week training window for the San Francisco Half.
After the run, and the glorious decadence of the too-long post-run shower, E and I sipped a glass of wine and ate mediteranean food under an umbrella. I jealously observed that the restaurant's tomato plants were bearing fruit while mine has barely begun to flower.
After lunch, we took a brief drive to look at a nearby house that's for sale and discussed the unknown of our future plans.
A drive. A nap. And later today, we're even going to the Kwik-E-Mart.
Sure, I've already worked an hour or so and I have another 2-3 hours to do, but compared to a full work-day, that's nothing. And since we have no plans it's not really that frustrating. I feel quite free. In a perfect world, I could read a pleasure book, or cook something complicated with those hours, but other than those two things, I've had a wonderfully relaxing day: I got my sleep, sun, run, food, and time with E.
If only I could find a way to work a half-day from home *every* Wednesday...
A day off in the middle of the week is so civilized, don't you think?
I slept in.
I ran 10 miles for the first time since June 9th. Guess what? It's hot today. And here's another newsflash: I'm a little out of shape. As predicted, my lazy-daze-of-summer program deflated my running fitness. Last weekend, E and I took a gorgeous 16-mile mountain bike ride on the coastal trail, which was fun, and good prep for Tour de Peninsula, but not exactly as demanding as a long run. None-the-less, I woke Sunday morning and convinced myself that the soreness in my legs meant I'd worked them enough for the weekend. I wish I could say that was the only morning in the last month or so where I opted for more time in bed over miles.
So, I've been lazy, I've been working too much, and not exercising as much as I should. I used today's Holiday to get out of that mode, officially, with the first longish run of Summer. It should be interesting to see how much improvement I can make in my 4 week training window for the San Francisco Half.
After the run, and the glorious decadence of the too-long post-run shower, E and I sipped a glass of wine and ate mediteranean food under an umbrella. I jealously observed that the restaurant's tomato plants were bearing fruit while mine has barely begun to flower.
After lunch, we took a brief drive to look at a nearby house that's for sale and discussed the unknown of our future plans.
A drive. A nap. And later today, we're even going to the Kwik-E-Mart.
Sure, I've already worked an hour or so and I have another 2-3 hours to do, but compared to a full work-day, that's nothing. And since we have no plans it's not really that frustrating. I feel quite free. In a perfect world, I could read a pleasure book, or cook something complicated with those hours, but other than those two things, I've had a wonderfully relaxing day: I got my sleep, sun, run, food, and time with E.
If only I could find a way to work a half-day from home *every* Wednesday...
July 1, 2007
Rice Balls! I accept your challenge!
Friday, I made an Italian dinner for friends.
Okay, if I'm to be honest, I should say that I planned the menu for an Italian dinner. But, I didn't have time to prepare it all, so friends came and helped prepare some of it before they ate it.
Lucky_girl took the dough I'd whipped up and made at least two pounds of fettucine with the kitchenaid pasta roller -- her enjoyment was well worth the price of the attachment. The homemade fettucine doused in carbonara made with sausage *and* bacon was the highlight of the meal.
H juiced 10 lemons and 2 oranges for sorbetto that never quite made it to the frozen state. After declaring it a failure, I added half-and-half, continued mixing, and froze it. There is now a very light sorbetto/gelato a limone waiting to be dispensed at barbeque.
For starters, A chatted with me while I deep fried arancini di riso that just wouldn't behave in the least bit. I based my efforts on a recipe I found on the internet which looked reasonable.
Uggghhhh....it was not reasonable at all.
When I took it from the fridge, it was clear that the risotto-like mixture needed to be cooked to a state that would be almost too dry to serve as risotto. I know that the cheese should have melted and the balls shouldn't have fallen apart into a goo-ey risotto-like mess when pierced. I also think the cheese cubes needed to be smaller and that the oil should have been slightly less hot so I could cook them for longer (allowing the cheese to melt) without burning the bread crumbs.
The guests, none of whom had ever had arancini di riso, raved about the weird exploding risotto goo concoctions I made, which I served over a bed of spinach with balsamic on the side for a make-shift salad. They were tasty, but much like tasty gnocchi mush, they were not as intended.
And now, it's personal.
E and I both knew what I had hoped to achieve. Risotto explosion balls were not the point. Good, yes. But not the point.
I shall be attempting arancini di riso repeatedly until I conquer them. As a side note, our marital relationship appears to be running more smoothly after the promise of increased grease, as well.
Friday, I made an Italian dinner for friends.
Okay, if I'm to be honest, I should say that I planned the menu for an Italian dinner. But, I didn't have time to prepare it all, so friends came and helped prepare some of it before they ate it.
Lucky_girl took the dough I'd whipped up and made at least two pounds of fettucine with the kitchenaid pasta roller -- her enjoyment was well worth the price of the attachment. The homemade fettucine doused in carbonara made with sausage *and* bacon was the highlight of the meal.
H juiced 10 lemons and 2 oranges for sorbetto that never quite made it to the frozen state. After declaring it a failure, I added half-and-half, continued mixing, and froze it. There is now a very light sorbetto/gelato a limone waiting to be dispensed at barbeque.
For starters, A chatted with me while I deep fried arancini di riso that just wouldn't behave in the least bit. I based my efforts on a recipe I found on the internet which looked reasonable.
Uggghhhh....it was not reasonable at all.
When I took it from the fridge, it was clear that the risotto-like mixture needed to be cooked to a state that would be almost too dry to serve as risotto. I know that the cheese should have melted and the balls shouldn't have fallen apart into a goo-ey risotto-like mess when pierced. I also think the cheese cubes needed to be smaller and that the oil should have been slightly less hot so I could cook them for longer (allowing the cheese to melt) without burning the bread crumbs.
The guests, none of whom had ever had arancini di riso, raved about the weird exploding risotto goo concoctions I made, which I served over a bed of spinach with balsamic on the side for a make-shift salad. They were tasty, but much like tasty gnocchi mush, they were not as intended.
And now, it's personal.
E and I both knew what I had hoped to achieve. Risotto explosion balls were not the point. Good, yes. But not the point.
I shall be attempting arancini di riso repeatedly until I conquer them. As a side note, our marital relationship appears to be running more smoothly after the promise of increased grease, as well.
June 27, 2007
Another Try
Life got in the way of running again and I missed double dipsea for Vancouver. From what I hear, I made the right choice. I donated my number to E2 and she said it was the hardest run she'd ever done in her life. Even if I hadn't taken the opportunity to be lazy, I'd still have been much too out of shape to enjoy it.
But, now there's a new target.
The 2nd half of the San Francisco Marathon.
I just put all of my training runs into my calendar up to and including race day. 4 weeks. Each week with 2 shorts, 1 medium, 1 long and a speed day plus a of bike riding with E to prep for Tour de Peninsula and at least one hour of yoga in the evening.
And, of course, work is crazy right now. So sticking to this plan will be a big challenge. I'm going to have to try very hard to balance life, work, and running over the next 4 weeks.
Say it with me now... "No matter how tired I am, I will run *before* work."
*BEFORE*
Because if there's one thing I've learned in my half-year as a lawyer, it's that when work gets crazy, the evening plans are bound to suffer.
Life got in the way of running again and I missed double dipsea for Vancouver. From what I hear, I made the right choice. I donated my number to E2 and she said it was the hardest run she'd ever done in her life. Even if I hadn't taken the opportunity to be lazy, I'd still have been much too out of shape to enjoy it.
But, now there's a new target.
The 2nd half of the San Francisco Marathon.
I just put all of my training runs into my calendar up to and including race day. 4 weeks. Each week with 2 shorts, 1 medium, 1 long and a speed day plus a of bike riding with E to prep for Tour de Peninsula and at least one hour of yoga in the evening.
And, of course, work is crazy right now. So sticking to this plan will be a big challenge. I'm going to have to try very hard to balance life, work, and running over the next 4 weeks.
Say it with me now... "No matter how tired I am, I will run *before* work."
*BEFORE*
Because if there's one thing I've learned in my half-year as a lawyer, it's that when work gets crazy, the evening plans are bound to suffer.
June 23, 2007
I heart Vancouver
I don't know if I've ever fallen so much in love with a city upon my first visit. Of course the reason for our visit was damn romantic -- P&F's wedding, earlier in the dating cycle and more gung-ho than is typical of our generation. And, then, the food gods shined their benevolent faces upon us, and, the weather was gorgeous every afternoon, the people were nice, and there's tons of trails for walking/running, and... well, what else do you want from a city, eh? That's probably 80% of the battle right there. Oh, and I heard at least 10 languages each day, so that's another 10%.
In short, I'm a sucker for Vancouver. I already told my sister she should consider applying to UBC for grad school, should she decide to go that route. See, P&F are moving *away* from Vancouver as a result of the wedding. But I want permanent connections there. I'm that much enamored with it.
One of the biggest draws is that the city is just gorgeous and very comfortable to me. Oddly comfortable. As in I felt more comfortable in downtown Vancouver than I do in San Francisco. And I feel pretty damn comfortable in SF. I think it was the combination of the slightly more international feel and the less hipster-inspired culture. Somehow, it felt architecturally like home while being more diverse and accepting of differences than SF.
I could live there, if it weren't for the rain thing. Okay, so really, I could probably only live there in the summer, 'cause the dark winter days would kill me. And even in the summer, I'd be grumpy in the morning, when it rains. But, I digress.
Leaving the US, the security guards confiscated my moisturizer and face makeup because they weren't in a plastic bag. Arriving in Vancouver, in contrast, we participated in an impromptu bachelor and bachelorette party (P & F were SURPRISED! Veil, tiara, chocolate mousse which they fed to one another in front of the airport. Fabulous!). This was in the loading and unloading only zone for at least 30 minutes and not a single person dared to suggest that we were a national security threat.
P & F took us to our hotel, which was an aging 3 star where the last star was noticeably losing it's luster. Somehow, I found that all the more charming. It reminded me of the hotel where we stayed in Sydney CBD before E & I got engaged. Also, what it lacked in modern conveniences it more than made up for with substance: Our 30th floor room had a balcony and a view of half of the city, including Burrard Inlet and Stanley Park.
The top of the hotel was a rotating restaurant and bar. You may not think this is a plus. Hokey. Lame, even. But, E has an odd obsession with rotating restaurants and, I must admit, I'm slowly catching it as well.
After checking in at 11:30 PM, we walked half a block and found a selection of 3 asian restaurants that were still open. We opted for Robson Sushi because they had "all-you-can-eat-sushi." All you can eat sushi is clearly the type of thing that's either going to be horrid or awesome. Either you are sickened by the quality of the food, or its the best thing you've ever done. It was the latter. And only $10.95CA. Which reminds me, by the way, we've basically reached parity with the Canadian dollar. They shouldn't have to pay more for books anymore.
Friday day, as a break from working from the hotel, we walked down Robson Street, window shopping and people watching on our way to an amazing lunch at Kalypso. The decor was ecclectic, the greek music relaxing, the service excellent, and the glass of Tsantali white and red wines we each ordered upon their recommendation were both very nice. We shared a greek salad with amazing feta, spanakopita, grilled octopus skewers, and my favorite dish, Saganaki (mmmm....fried cheese with lemon...). The experience prompted us to move Greece up on the list of vacation destinations.
From there, we hit the Sears in Robson square, which, in case you were wondering is nothing like Sears in the U.S. I sent E off to amuse himself with the power tools section while I purchased replacement face makeup and moisturizer and he came back explaining that they had no such thing.
Friday night, after witnessing P & F's wedding, we were treated to a Chinese banquet by F's family at Kirin. As you can imagine, we left stuffed to the brim. Crispy beef, where you been all my life? But we still had room for drinks with P&F in the rotating restaurant.
Saturday, E put on his finest Nasa T-shirt and we took a nice walk through town to to a Creperie and then to the MacMillan Space Center. For dinner, thanks to lucky_girl & hubby's recommendation, we enjoyed omakase with P&F at Tojo's. It was expensive, but quite good. Just another check on the list of the blessed vancouver food experience.
Sunday morning, after an early night to digest, we headed to F's favorite local dim sum joint. Delicious! Dim Sum with a side of chili sauce. Za Leong (or however you spell it) was a new addition and how can you argue with deep fried bread-dough? Plus, nothing beats F's mandarin when trying to order from across the room.
From there, we headed to science world, which, in E's and my estimation, is one of the better science museums in the world, and believe it or not, we're slowly becoming qualified to make that statement. The science museum keeps being the one site we consistently hit in almost every city we visit...
After science world and our viewing of the associated Omnimax film the Human Body, P&F took us to the local brewpup where E and I shared a taster sampler and we all listened to a trio from the Vancouver international Jazz fest.
Shortly thereafter, we headed to the airport where every flight except ours (or at least every one prior to ours) was unacceptably delayed (as in, "could you stay the night?"). We took off a little late but arrived in time and now, I can't wait to sleep.
It was one of the best weekend trips I've ever taken.
I don't know if I've ever fallen so much in love with a city upon my first visit. Of course the reason for our visit was damn romantic -- P&F's wedding, earlier in the dating cycle and more gung-ho than is typical of our generation. And, then, the food gods shined their benevolent faces upon us, and, the weather was gorgeous every afternoon, the people were nice, and there's tons of trails for walking/running, and... well, what else do you want from a city, eh? That's probably 80% of the battle right there. Oh, and I heard at least 10 languages each day, so that's another 10%.
In short, I'm a sucker for Vancouver. I already told my sister she should consider applying to UBC for grad school, should she decide to go that route. See, P&F are moving *away* from Vancouver as a result of the wedding. But I want permanent connections there. I'm that much enamored with it.
One of the biggest draws is that the city is just gorgeous and very comfortable to me. Oddly comfortable. As in I felt more comfortable in downtown Vancouver than I do in San Francisco. And I feel pretty damn comfortable in SF. I think it was the combination of the slightly more international feel and the less hipster-inspired culture. Somehow, it felt architecturally like home while being more diverse and accepting of differences than SF.
I could live there, if it weren't for the rain thing. Okay, so really, I could probably only live there in the summer, 'cause the dark winter days would kill me. And even in the summer, I'd be grumpy in the morning, when it rains. But, I digress.
Leaving the US, the security guards confiscated my moisturizer and face makeup because they weren't in a plastic bag. Arriving in Vancouver, in contrast, we participated in an impromptu bachelor and bachelorette party (P & F were SURPRISED! Veil, tiara, chocolate mousse which they fed to one another in front of the airport. Fabulous!). This was in the loading and unloading only zone for at least 30 minutes and not a single person dared to suggest that we were a national security threat.
P & F took us to our hotel, which was an aging 3 star where the last star was noticeably losing it's luster. Somehow, I found that all the more charming. It reminded me of the hotel where we stayed in Sydney CBD before E & I got engaged. Also, what it lacked in modern conveniences it more than made up for with substance: Our 30th floor room had a balcony and a view of half of the city, including Burrard Inlet and Stanley Park.
The top of the hotel was a rotating restaurant and bar. You may not think this is a plus. Hokey. Lame, even. But, E has an odd obsession with rotating restaurants and, I must admit, I'm slowly catching it as well.
After checking in at 11:30 PM, we walked half a block and found a selection of 3 asian restaurants that were still open. We opted for Robson Sushi because they had "all-you-can-eat-sushi." All you can eat sushi is clearly the type of thing that's either going to be horrid or awesome. Either you are sickened by the quality of the food, or its the best thing you've ever done. It was the latter. And only $10.95CA. Which reminds me, by the way, we've basically reached parity with the Canadian dollar. They shouldn't have to pay more for books anymore.
Friday day, as a break from working from the hotel, we walked down Robson Street, window shopping and people watching on our way to an amazing lunch at Kalypso. The decor was ecclectic, the greek music relaxing, the service excellent, and the glass of Tsantali white and red wines we each ordered upon their recommendation were both very nice. We shared a greek salad with amazing feta, spanakopita, grilled octopus skewers, and my favorite dish, Saganaki (mmmm....fried cheese with lemon...). The experience prompted us to move Greece up on the list of vacation destinations.
From there, we hit the Sears in Robson square, which, in case you were wondering is nothing like Sears in the U.S. I sent E off to amuse himself with the power tools section while I purchased replacement face makeup and moisturizer and he came back explaining that they had no such thing.
Friday night, after witnessing P & F's wedding, we were treated to a Chinese banquet by F's family at Kirin. As you can imagine, we left stuffed to the brim. Crispy beef, where you been all my life? But we still had room for drinks with P&F in the rotating restaurant.
Saturday, E put on his finest Nasa T-shirt and we took a nice walk through town to to a Creperie and then to the MacMillan Space Center. For dinner, thanks to lucky_girl & hubby's recommendation, we enjoyed omakase with P&F at Tojo's. It was expensive, but quite good. Just another check on the list of the blessed vancouver food experience.
Sunday morning, after an early night to digest, we headed to F's favorite local dim sum joint. Delicious! Dim Sum with a side of chili sauce. Za Leong (or however you spell it) was a new addition and how can you argue with deep fried bread-dough? Plus, nothing beats F's mandarin when trying to order from across the room.
From there, we headed to science world, which, in E's and my estimation, is one of the better science museums in the world, and believe it or not, we're slowly becoming qualified to make that statement. The science museum keeps being the one site we consistently hit in almost every city we visit...
After science world and our viewing of the associated Omnimax film the Human Body, P&F took us to the local brewpup where E and I shared a taster sampler and we all listened to a trio from the Vancouver international Jazz fest.
Shortly thereafter, we headed to the airport where every flight except ours (or at least every one prior to ours) was unacceptably delayed (as in, "could you stay the night?"). We took off a little late but arrived in time and now, I can't wait to sleep.
It was one of the best weekend trips I've ever taken.
June 20, 2007
A Milestone
Today, I took my very first contract that I wrote from scratch to our head IP partner for review.
Nervous does not begin to describe the feeling.
Ordinarily, I've got something to start with. A form from the other side. One of our form agreements.
But not this time.
This deal was weird. One of those unique combinations of technology, business, and founder eccentricities that lead you down a path of *free-drafting*.
I was shocked when the client said he liked the first draft. Particularly because we had several almost-arguments over how to structure it.
But he's just the client. It's good when he likes it, but really, the test was the partner.
Guess what? The managing partner of my group, who's been practicing law for almost as long as I have been alive, made 6 edits on my 7 page contract. 6 small edits.
Plus, he said, "good job." And, "Thanks."
I thought he was going to rip it to shreds. I was prepared. Steeled, even. It was going to be fine.
Instead, I had to deal with the shock that I may actually be starting to get the hang of this lawyer thing.
I'm still dealing.
Today, I took my very first contract that I wrote from scratch to our head IP partner for review.
Nervous does not begin to describe the feeling.
Ordinarily, I've got something to start with. A form from the other side. One of our form agreements.
But not this time.
This deal was weird. One of those unique combinations of technology, business, and founder eccentricities that lead you down a path of *free-drafting*.
I was shocked when the client said he liked the first draft. Particularly because we had several almost-arguments over how to structure it.
But he's just the client. It's good when he likes it, but really, the test was the partner.
Guess what? The managing partner of my group, who's been practicing law for almost as long as I have been alive, made 6 edits on my 7 page contract. 6 small edits.
Plus, he said, "good job." And, "Thanks."
I thought he was going to rip it to shreds. I was prepared. Steeled, even. It was going to be fine.
Instead, I had to deal with the shock that I may actually be starting to get the hang of this lawyer thing.
I'm still dealing.
June 17, 2007
Father's Day Weekend
We had quite a busy weekend.
Originally, I'd planned a going away weekend for a friend who's moving to Alaska. We'd planned winetasting, food at the local vietnamese fusion joint, and a girls' day at the spa.
But, that plan was cut short when a member of her SO's family passed away of cancer.
Talk about hitting home.
I did my best to regroup. I sent out an email to the portion of the crew that were my friends and asked if we could still meet up, still winetaste, still do girls' day at the spa.
All but 1 obliged me. On Friday, I found out that the one who didn't respond was silent only because of my idiocy and sending the invitation to the wrong email address. Saturday night, she even tried to join us last minute. It was not to be, but she made the effort.
So, instead of moping, I spent the weekend visiting amazing amazing local wineries with friends. I went to the spa and got a facial. I ate entirely too much imported prosciutto, imported cheese, and local salame. Not to mention more than my share of vino, chocolate, fruit, etc.
Despite the weekend of sensorial indulgence, when E called his dad, to wish him a happy father's day, it hurt. Not all consuming. But pain, none-the-less. Like jealousy, but milder. No hatred, just the even-keeled stretching pain of sadness that you know you can't avoid.
So, I called my bro. He told me that he'd spent the day with my niece watching movies. She loves Rambo. That was just like Dad. When we were kids, we thought he was cool because he'd let us see any violent film we wanted. Of course, he'd pause the movie and send us out of the room for anything remotely bordering on sex. I called sister to laugh at Dad's movie ridiculousness and left her a message.
Plus, dad's sister sent me an email. Dad's other sister had left me voicemail on Friday. The entire family really reached out to one another to support each other this day, as we should have. And, yet, instead of gratitude, all I could think was...Silly dad. Didn't he know we could see the kissing from behind the couch when we snuck back in?
Also, E was amazing. After he called his parents, when I completely changed the plan for the evening and turned into a moping child, he willingly installed a curtain rod and hung curtains in the guest room in response to my odd request.
Because all of a sudden, I wanted big household jobs to be done with tools that made noise. The drilling noise. Somehow, it made me feel better. I couldn't go to the grave, but through E, I could bring drilling to me. It assured me that dad knew I missed him and wished him a happy father's day.
Silly, but true.
And, even sillier, but I'm going to go watch a "chick flick" to cap off my day. I'm not sure how that fits in. But, who am I to resist?
E2 left artisanal chocolate too... mmm....
We had quite a busy weekend.
Originally, I'd planned a going away weekend for a friend who's moving to Alaska. We'd planned winetasting, food at the local vietnamese fusion joint, and a girls' day at the spa.
But, that plan was cut short when a member of her SO's family passed away of cancer.
Talk about hitting home.
I did my best to regroup. I sent out an email to the portion of the crew that were my friends and asked if we could still meet up, still winetaste, still do girls' day at the spa.
All but 1 obliged me. On Friday, I found out that the one who didn't respond was silent only because of my idiocy and sending the invitation to the wrong email address. Saturday night, she even tried to join us last minute. It was not to be, but she made the effort.
So, instead of moping, I spent the weekend visiting amazing amazing local wineries with friends. I went to the spa and got a facial. I ate entirely too much imported prosciutto, imported cheese, and local salame. Not to mention more than my share of vino, chocolate, fruit, etc.
Despite the weekend of sensorial indulgence, when E called his dad, to wish him a happy father's day, it hurt. Not all consuming. But pain, none-the-less. Like jealousy, but milder. No hatred, just the even-keeled stretching pain of sadness that you know you can't avoid.
So, I called my bro. He told me that he'd spent the day with my niece watching movies. She loves Rambo. That was just like Dad. When we were kids, we thought he was cool because he'd let us see any violent film we wanted. Of course, he'd pause the movie and send us out of the room for anything remotely bordering on sex. I called sister to laugh at Dad's movie ridiculousness and left her a message.
Plus, dad's sister sent me an email. Dad's other sister had left me voicemail on Friday. The entire family really reached out to one another to support each other this day, as we should have. And, yet, instead of gratitude, all I could think was...Silly dad. Didn't he know we could see the kissing from behind the couch when we snuck back in?
Also, E was amazing. After he called his parents, when I completely changed the plan for the evening and turned into a moping child, he willingly installed a curtain rod and hung curtains in the guest room in response to my odd request.
Because all of a sudden, I wanted big household jobs to be done with tools that made noise. The drilling noise. Somehow, it made me feel better. I couldn't go to the grave, but through E, I could bring drilling to me. It assured me that dad knew I missed him and wished him a happy father's day.
Silly, but true.
And, even sillier, but I'm going to go watch a "chick flick" to cap off my day. I'm not sure how that fits in. But, who am I to resist?
E2 left artisanal chocolate too... mmm....
June 16, 2007
Recipe: Chilled Green Curry Salad
I threw this together for last BBQ. It was a hit. It's refreshing and spicy at the same time. I think it may become a regular in the rotation.
(For the salad:)
-1 head lettuce, chopped in the cuisinart (I actually shredded it, but E and I agreed that it would be much better chopped next time)
-2 large red bell peppers, cored, and chopped in the cuisinart into strips
-2 english cucumbers, skins on, sliced in the cuisinart
(For the dressing:)
-1 T soy sauce
-1 t green curry
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-2 T brown sugar
-3 T fish sauce
1. Pull vegetables straight from the fridge (hence the chilled part). Use the cuisinart to prep the vegetable components. Put them in a bowl and mix them with your hands.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients and stir with a fork 'til the sugar is dissolved. Pour over salad.
3. Serve immediately or chill and serve the next day.
Other ingredients I would have considered if they were lying around:
-shredded carrots
-shredded cabbage
-glass noodles
-soba
Enjoy!
I threw this together for last BBQ. It was a hit. It's refreshing and spicy at the same time. I think it may become a regular in the rotation.
(For the salad:)
-1 head lettuce, chopped in the cuisinart (I actually shredded it, but E and I agreed that it would be much better chopped next time)
-2 large red bell peppers, cored, and chopped in the cuisinart into strips
-2 english cucumbers, skins on, sliced in the cuisinart
(For the dressing:)
-1 T soy sauce
-1 t green curry
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-2 T brown sugar
-3 T fish sauce
1. Pull vegetables straight from the fridge (hence the chilled part). Use the cuisinart to prep the vegetable components. Put them in a bowl and mix them with your hands.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients and stir with a fork 'til the sugar is dissolved. Pour over salad.
3. Serve immediately or chill and serve the next day.
Other ingredients I would have considered if they were lying around:
-shredded carrots
-shredded cabbage
-glass noodles
-soba
Enjoy!
Permission to relax
I've been exhausted lately. Getting up in the morning for my AM runs has been quite difficult. I just want to lay in bed and get another hour of sleep. Mind you, I still get up, and I go, because I'm insane and I'd signed up for double dipsea.
But Thursday at BBQ, I found out that a good friend, P, is getting married on June 23. In Vancouver. Without family in attendance. This is good news. He and his girlfriend F, have had immigration issues that have prevented them from living in the same country since they've been together. He moved there for a long stretch to ensure they were compatible. She's come for many visits. But they couldn't truly, legally live in the same country while leading a normal life.
Apparently, some government official managing greencard appplications to file an application (I'm not making that part up) decided to fast track non-UK citizens who received their college education degree in the US. Or something like that. P was only born in the UK and speaks with a British accent, but he's not a citizen. And he has a degree in CS from UT Austin. So, much to his surprise, he's in the fast track.
Long story short, P has to be married to F, quickfast, before he files his fast-tracked application, if they want to be able to legally live in the US together.
Hence, E and I will be flying to Canada to witness a very small backyard wedding next weekend. I'm so excited for P & F. I'm also thrilled that I will finally be going to Canada. Every time I've tried to go, something has gone wrong and I haven't been able to go. I was partially convinced that Canada was a myth. You know, like a painting at the Northern edge of the US. P assures me that it's real, and that E and I will like our weekend in Vancouver.
The second bonus is that because I'll be in Vancouver, I'm not going to be able to do double dipsea. I've given myself permission to be lazy until we return. If I want to run, great. But if not, like this AM, then I've given myself permission to stay in and relax. Blog. Plan travel.
Sure, after a week of lazy, I'll be in worse shape when I start really training for the SF half. But, I'm hoping by giving permission to laze through a low mileage week, I'll be more motivated after the time off. I'll let you know how that works out.
P.S. any food or site-seeing suggestions for Vancouver?
I've been exhausted lately. Getting up in the morning for my AM runs has been quite difficult. I just want to lay in bed and get another hour of sleep. Mind you, I still get up, and I go, because I'm insane and I'd signed up for double dipsea.
But Thursday at BBQ, I found out that a good friend, P, is getting married on June 23. In Vancouver. Without family in attendance. This is good news. He and his girlfriend F, have had immigration issues that have prevented them from living in the same country since they've been together. He moved there for a long stretch to ensure they were compatible. She's come for many visits. But they couldn't truly, legally live in the same country while leading a normal life.
Apparently, some government official managing greencard appplications to file an application (I'm not making that part up) decided to fast track non-UK citizens who received their college education degree in the US. Or something like that. P was only born in the UK and speaks with a British accent, but he's not a citizen. And he has a degree in CS from UT Austin. So, much to his surprise, he's in the fast track.
Long story short, P has to be married to F, quickfast, before he files his fast-tracked application, if they want to be able to legally live in the US together.
Hence, E and I will be flying to Canada to witness a very small backyard wedding next weekend. I'm so excited for P & F. I'm also thrilled that I will finally be going to Canada. Every time I've tried to go, something has gone wrong and I haven't been able to go. I was partially convinced that Canada was a myth. You know, like a painting at the Northern edge of the US. P assures me that it's real, and that E and I will like our weekend in Vancouver.
The second bonus is that because I'll be in Vancouver, I'm not going to be able to do double dipsea. I've given myself permission to be lazy until we return. If I want to run, great. But if not, like this AM, then I've given myself permission to stay in and relax. Blog. Plan travel.
Sure, after a week of lazy, I'll be in worse shape when I start really training for the SF half. But, I'm hoping by giving permission to laze through a low mileage week, I'll be more motivated after the time off. I'll let you know how that works out.
P.S. any food or site-seeing suggestions for Vancouver?
June 13, 2007
Lest I forget
There are times when I love my job.
When I forget to eat lunch because what I'm doing is so fascinating.
When it hits home that sometimes I get paid to learn, and after that, I get paid to play with words.
When I feel important. Useful. Helpful. Smart. Necessary, even. Like what I'm doing matters and that I'm good at it.
I can't imagine trying to do this without that occasional work-induced bliss. Mind you, as a first year lawyer, those days are few and far between. But when the law flatters... if you happen to like women like that... man, oh, man. It's a heady experience.
There are times when I love my job.
When I forget to eat lunch because what I'm doing is so fascinating.
When it hits home that sometimes I get paid to learn, and after that, I get paid to play with words.
When I feel important. Useful. Helpful. Smart. Necessary, even. Like what I'm doing matters and that I'm good at it.
I can't imagine trying to do this without that occasional work-induced bliss. Mind you, as a first year lawyer, those days are few and far between. But when the law flatters... if you happen to like women like that... man, oh, man. It's a heady experience.
June 12, 2007
Blah Blah Blah
I'm slightly busier than ideal this week at work. I knew, going in after the weekend of not working, that I had quite a bit lined up. Plus, I've had a client emergency each day so far, and that's kicked me into "finish up work at home" mode both today and yesterday.
But, then again, I was loafing for the first half of this month, so I suppose the hours are almost needed. After the deal from hell, I did quite a bit of summer associate bonding, which was fun.
But it doesn't count towards my billables, so...I should probably start to pay attention before the end of June rolls around. What a concept! I haven't even thought about whether I'd be on track, hours-wise for at least a month.
In other news, my Thai basil is starting to turn purple, but all 4 basil seedlings (green and purple) are wilted a bit from the transplantation. Also, I think my tomato plant grew. E thinks I'm crazy. I think I'm going to start taking pictures of my tomato plant. Perhaps it would be faster to give him a name instead of saying "my tomato plant." Did I mention that E thinks I'm crazy. I really hope I don't kill it.
I'm slightly busier than ideal this week at work. I knew, going in after the weekend of not working, that I had quite a bit lined up. Plus, I've had a client emergency each day so far, and that's kicked me into "finish up work at home" mode both today and yesterday.
But, then again, I was loafing for the first half of this month, so I suppose the hours are almost needed. After the deal from hell, I did quite a bit of summer associate bonding, which was fun.
But it doesn't count towards my billables, so...I should probably start to pay attention before the end of June rolls around. What a concept! I haven't even thought about whether I'd be on track, hours-wise for at least a month.
In other news, my Thai basil is starting to turn purple, but all 4 basil seedlings (green and purple) are wilted a bit from the transplantation. Also, I think my tomato plant grew. E thinks I'm crazy. I think I'm going to start taking pictures of my tomato plant. Perhaps it would be faster to give him a name instead of saying "my tomato plant." Did I mention that E thinks I'm crazy. I really hope I don't kill it.
June 11, 2007
On Perspective
The closest people in my life have all lived a little. Or more than a little.
They've bled. They've had a death or two. They've fought. They've lost a loved one. They've struggled with depression or anxiety or bipolar disorder or addiction or abandonment. Something. Anything.
Humanity is flawed. And the people I love all live it and love it.
Sometimes, I forget that. And I get uptight. I start to act like perfection could actually be mine if I could just be good enough. I curl up and protect and stop being willing to make mistakes.
Hah! The three-part joke's on me.
A. Lack of mistakes is not an option for us humans.
B. When I behave as if it's an option I become someone I wouldn't pick for a friend.
C. What the hell would I want with a perfect boring life, anyways?
The closest people in my life have all lived a little. Or more than a little.
They've bled. They've had a death or two. They've fought. They've lost a loved one. They've struggled with depression or anxiety or bipolar disorder or addiction or abandonment. Something. Anything.
Humanity is flawed. And the people I love all live it and love it.
Sometimes, I forget that. And I get uptight. I start to act like perfection could actually be mine if I could just be good enough. I curl up and protect and stop being willing to make mistakes.
Hah! The three-part joke's on me.
A. Lack of mistakes is not an option for us humans.
B. When I behave as if it's an option I become someone I wouldn't pick for a friend.
C. What the hell would I want with a perfect boring life, anyways?
June 10, 2007
Summer Food Kick-Off
Saturday, we had our first BBQ of the season. We bought entirely too much beer, bread, chips, and sausage. But we nailed our estimate of the white wine, hamburgers, cheese, cowboy caviar, almond bundt cake (marzipan-based recipe from my favorite baking cookbook), fresh raspberry and pitted bing cherries topping for the cake.
It was great to catch up with my sister (who drove the farthest! yeah!) friends, and friends of friends. The sun was out, and the smell of barbeque was in the air. It is officially BBQ season.
Unfortunately, it is not officially tomato season. As much as I wish it were true, it's just not.
So, today, at our local farmer's market, to tide myself over after looking at the hothouse options, in addition to some dark leafy greens (which have been sadly lacking in our diet), I bought a black krim seedling. I also bought an assortment of basil seedlings. I asked many questions about care and hope to undo my current gardening skillset, which involves killing multiple cacti.
I picked some of the basil leaves for lunch and added them to the not-even-close-to-true-tomato in our fridge with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. We ate it with leftover bollilo from the barbeque. The good olive oil from vino noceto plus good balsamic did a good job of hiding the substitute non-flavor-full tomatoes from me until the real thing appears.
But, truly, I just can't wait. I've been outside to check on my plants 3 times today since I transplanted them. I reread the "Tomato Cultivation" chapter in The Tomato Festival Cookbook.
According to the gardening man who sold me the seedlings, I can expect tomatoes at the end of August. According to the Seed Savers Exchange I have 69 to 90 days from today.
August 18th, I'm looking at you!
On my todo list is daily soil dampness checks, the purchase and placement of slow-release fertilizer, the purchase of a cage to allow the plant to grow and the research of anti-squirrel tactics.
Much like bacon and chocolate, I expect you will be seeing quite a bit about tomatoes.
Saturday, we had our first BBQ of the season. We bought entirely too much beer, bread, chips, and sausage. But we nailed our estimate of the white wine, hamburgers, cheese, cowboy caviar, almond bundt cake (marzipan-based recipe from my favorite baking cookbook), fresh raspberry and pitted bing cherries topping for the cake.
It was great to catch up with my sister (who drove the farthest! yeah!) friends, and friends of friends. The sun was out, and the smell of barbeque was in the air. It is officially BBQ season.
Unfortunately, it is not officially tomato season. As much as I wish it were true, it's just not.
So, today, at our local farmer's market, to tide myself over after looking at the hothouse options, in addition to some dark leafy greens (which have been sadly lacking in our diet), I bought a black krim seedling. I also bought an assortment of basil seedlings. I asked many questions about care and hope to undo my current gardening skillset, which involves killing multiple cacti.
I picked some of the basil leaves for lunch and added them to the not-even-close-to-true-tomato in our fridge with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. We ate it with leftover bollilo from the barbeque. The good olive oil from vino noceto plus good balsamic did a good job of hiding the substitute non-flavor-full tomatoes from me until the real thing appears.
But, truly, I just can't wait. I've been outside to check on my plants 3 times today since I transplanted them. I reread the "Tomato Cultivation" chapter in The Tomato Festival Cookbook.
According to the gardening man who sold me the seedlings, I can expect tomatoes at the end of August. According to the Seed Savers Exchange I have 69 to 90 days from today.
August 18th, I'm looking at you!
On my todo list is daily soil dampness checks, the purchase and placement of slow-release fertilizer, the purchase of a cage to allow the plant to grow and the research of anti-squirrel tactics.
Much like bacon and chocolate, I expect you will be seeing quite a bit about tomatoes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)