Last Week's Dinners

Just writing for me. Pretty sure no one reads this anymore. That's ok.

Monday: Three Cheese Tortelloni with Calamari Sauce
Tuesday: Salmon in Foil, Steamed Asparagus, Garlic Fried Rice with Egg
Wednesday: Creole Jambalaya
Thursday: Homemade Pizza, one with Olives and Mushrooms, one with Smoked Sausage
Friday: Fish Sticks and Chicken Nuggets
Saturday: Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil

trade-off

I wonder if doing a 20 minute ab workout does anything to negate the chocolate I ate right before working out.

Also, how did it get to be March 15th already?

Reading Update

Holidays are over. Sniff. However, I did make some progress on my reading list.


1. Skipping Christmas - John Grisham

- a quick, fun read

2. The Leap - Rick Smith

- still not done but interesting

3. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt

- very interesting, made all the more so by the fact that it's a non fiction book

4. the curious incident of the dog in the night-time - Mark Haddon

- good read, told from a unique point of view

5. Buckingham Palace Gardens - Anne Perry

- gripping mystery set in Victorian England

6. Ciao Italia Pronto! - Mary Ann Esposito

- yummy recipes but haven't tried any

I have a new pile of books but I doubt that I'll get through them as quickly as I did the previous set. Still, the best books I've read in recent years are

The Thirteenth Tale
The Time Traveler's Wife

Aikido? Still going.
Running? Got to start again. It's been about a month since the last good run.
Swimming? Been dry for a while.
Biking? Last road bike ride, November 2009. Still riding my mountain bike on short trips around work.
Races for this year? None on the horizon. Did do 5 K in October 2009 for a sports charity.
Goals for this year? 2nd kyu

Holiday Reading List

I look to my right, at my bedside table, and what do I see? A pile of books just waiting for me!

What could be better for a holiday break?

1. Skipping Christmas - John Grisham
2. The Leap - Rick Smith
3. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt
4. the curious incident of the dog in the night-time - Mark Haddon
5. Buckingham Palace Gardens - Anne Perry
6. Ciao Italia Pronto! - Mary Ann Esposito

Role Reversal

Tomorrow is test day at the dojo. I am not up for testing as I don't have nearly enough time in to even think about my next rank. I will, however, be participating in the test. This will be my very first time serving as uke for another student. I must admit, I was both flattered and slightly anxious when C asked me to be her partner for her 5th kyu test. I figured, 'Why not?' There's always a first time. It might as well be now.

I'm also bringing the gigantic bottle of hand sanitizer I got at Walgreens last weekend. Another form of self defense. Ethyl alcohol-style.

Self-Defense

Today, Doran Sensei taught an all-kotegaeshi class. From all kinds of different attacks - same side wrist grab, opposite side wrist grab, double arm grab, punch and side strike.

What stuck with me though is what he said right at the end of class when we had bowed out and were gathered in a circle. Self-defense is not just defending against a strike. It's also about defending against sickness. So, bring some hand sanitizer into the dojo and wash your hands and wrists before stepping on the mat. Sneeze into your sleeve, if you have to sneeze. Don't touch your eyes, nose or throat with your hands.

Don't get sick. Don't make others sick.

That's also self-defense.

Wise words.

Three Flats and A Snake

It was too good not to blog about this. My friend Debbie and I went for a bike ride on Sunday. First, she was about a half hour late because when she walked out to her bike to load it into her car to drive over here, her rear tire was flat. With no spare inner tube, she took it to the bike shop down the street and had them change it for her. I had to pump up my tires which were very low due to disuse.

We hit the trail. About 1.5 miles in, I spot something small, black and wriggly in front of me. As I tried not to swerve and just keep riding, I realized, "IT'S A SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!" OK, it's a snake the diameter of a Twizzler, but "A SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!" Thirty seconds after I recover my breath, Debbie slows down saying, 'I feel paranoid but I think I hear my tire.'

Oh, her tire was just fine. Mine, on the other hand, had two big punctures in it. Flat number two. Part of me was expecting to see a snake fang buried in the rubber but, fortunately, that was not the case.

We started to walk back somewhat dejectedly when I realized that I had all the necessary bits for a tire change. Why do I lug these things around if I'm not going to use them?

So...

We are women, hear us ROAR! We changed the tire! On a road bike! With a little bitty hand pump to pump up the new inner tube. Considering I hadn't changed a tire on my bike in two years, I was pretty darned proud of the two of us.

In celebration, we turned our bikes around and rode.

When we got back home, we had a nice glass of water and then it was time to say goodbye. As Debbie wheeled her bike out to her truck, I looked down at her front tire.

It was flat.