Contributing to the Conversation

Observations

2012-01-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

1. No matter how much I prepare; no matter how many google maps I look up; no matter the fact that my iPhone is glued to my hand... I will get lost. It isn't like I don't prepare. I will spend the whole day with a map and turn-by-turn directions---but to no avail. The direction gods hate me. It's frustrating as hell. I was almost in tears this evening after I diligently got off the bus at my appointed stop... 1.5 miles away from the destination.

2. You know things are changing when:
a.) Your feet hurt. Now that I walk everywhere and am running more, my feet hurt all the damn time.
b.) You don't give a rat's ass what you look like, just as long as you're warm and comfortable. Tonight I had on an ear-warmer, a knitted baseball cap, and a fur-trimmed hoodie. I'm a-ok with this.

3. Not having a car is the best diet plan ever. No longer is that pint of ice cream appealing when you have to schlep it back home. Today my groceries consisted mainly of lettuce and whole-wheat bread. Lots of air in there.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

image from http://www.theplatform.info/feedcontent/article/81079

Happy New Year, y'all!!

I used to think that I was above New Year's resolutions, while I still quietly declared goals to myself. But no one is above improving themselves. In fact, I make resolutions all the freakin' time! Am I successful? Not always. But I am no longer going to be afraid of admitting to myself and to others that change needs to happen---and that change is good.

I love being in Chicago---a big change---and I'm so proud of myself for making this happen! So, without further ado, here's a list of things I'd like to focus on or accomplish in 2012.

- Run a marathon
- Write---including this blog, my personal journal, and pursuing outside writing opportunities
- Eat better. Reduce the extreme servings/cravings of salt and sugar (especially chocolate)
- Cook more and continue trying new recipes
- Stick to my budget
- Spend more time mastering the things I'm interested in

Last year was not a total wash, either. Here are a few things I was able to accomplish. Woo hoo!

- Moved to Chicago
- Received two job offers within a month of moving
- Successfully transitioned into my new job and home
- Relaxed more!! I'm also very proud of myself for this. I was such a spaz ball wreck in Colorado---and I still find myself getting caught in that trap whenever I visit. In Chicago, I've been able to calm down and take one day at a time. No more guilt.
- Became a much, much better cook---though I still have a long way to go
- Fell in love

In short, I'm happy again. Finally. I'd like to continue being happy while accomplishing new things.

2012 is going to be a good year.

40 Days

2011-10-28T20:57:00.003-06:00

I have often considered myself as a highly motivated person. I work hard, I exercise, and I try to take care of my family and friendships.

I was even motivated enough to pick up and move to Chicago. I needed a change in my life—and so I made it happen.

That’s how everything should work. You want something? Make it happen.

But now that I’m in Chicago and happy, I’ve kinda let go of everything else. I obsessively watched my diet back in Colorado, so I don’t need to do that here, right? I don’t need to run or lift because I’ll just naturally keep my figure through happiness, right?

Wrong.

I’ve been unhealthy since I moved. I thought I could beat the Midwest diet, but apparently I’m human. Being human sucks.

So, I’m vowing to put myself back on track. For 40 days and 40 nights, I want to make every choice a healthy choice. Snack nuts at work? No thanks. That candy bar? Nuh uh. And I for sure don’t need any more hamburgers. I also plan to work out every day. Even if it’s a short yoga video at home.

Just worry about TODAY. Make every day the best. Then smile.

My Niece

2011-09-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

My niece Ava's birthday is coming up on October 8th! I won't be there for their Halloween extravaganza birthday party, but I did get her some cute stuff from the Disney store. Shopping for kids is waaaay more fun than shopping for adults.

I was going through my e-mail this morning and ran across this video that my sister-in-law, Amber, sent me. The title is "Video Proof that I am the Worst Mother Ever."

Amber explains:

Ava and Andrew like to slide down the stairs. I changed the way they do it. I don't think you're supposed to teach two-year-olds this stuff. Whoops.

I think this is absolutely stellar! I can't stop laughing at the video.

Chi-town Balance

2011-09-18T21:28:00.000-06:00

I promised that I'd get back to blogging and surprise, surprise I haven't been very good about posting.

It may sound weird, but I'm having such a great time here in Chicago that I'm afraid that if I write about it then that will ruin it. My secret bubble of happiness will burst or something.

Sometimes I worry that I'm not doing enough here. That I'm not taking full advantage of the city. But then I just reflected on everything that went on this past weekend and the guilt quickly faded away.

I'm discovering that I've finally, finally managed to get a balance in my life. I leave work at 5. I have not and will not tie my work e-mail to my phone. My weekdays are pretty low-key while I'm always exploring something new on my weekends.

Balance is happiness, my friends.

To give you an idea of my new life in the city, here's a glimpse at this past weekend:

On Friday, the director and producers from the ABC show, Shark Tank were filming in our offices. As both our CEOs were out, it was my job to make sure that everyone knew their way around the office and had everything they needed. The producer, Steven, and the director, Patrick, were both great guys! It was fascinating to see the whole filming process unfold. What's crazy is that a whole afternoon of filming will probably amount to only a couple minutes on the show.

George and Rolf, creators and inventors of Power Decal.


My desk will be famous!

After working late to make sure that everything wrapped up and they got out of the office okay, Nick met me at work and we rushed over to US Cellular Field to watch the Chicago Police versus Chicago Firefighters charity baseball game. This game was sooo much fun! 10-times better than a Cubs MLB game. We had such a great time!!

Watching Chicago's Finest

A great picture of Mariya, myself, and Nick!

It took up about a million shots to get the picture above, mostly because I have short arms and because Mariya likes to make faces for every picture she's in.

After the baseball game, we trecked out to Nick's side of town to meet his adorable dog and to grab a few more drinks. I'm not a huge beer drinker, but after a long week at work it was the nectar of the gods.

On Saturday morning I woke up and worked out with my awesome trainer, April. I'll do a whole separate post on her later. Just to make sure I was fully recovered and not under-fed, Mariya and I went out to Greek Town for some amazing Greek food.

Incredible appetizers. Look at those giant lima beans!

Meat pie wrapped in philo dough. Heaven,

Lamb with greek pasta

After the giant lunch and subsequent food coma, we rolled back home and spent the night watching Weeds. I'm new to this show and Mariya and I have only gotten to the third season, but this show is absolutely nuts! I'm constantly saying, "what the f---?!" at the end of every episode.

On Sunday I rolled my bum out of bed, threw in some laundry, and went to our playoff soccer games in Lincoln Park. The first game we won but the second game we lost in penalty kicks. Brutal! I've been playing with this team for about two months and I'm finally getting to know everyone on the team. They're a ton of fun! As I've always said, adult sports and leagues are a great way to both get outside for a little bit and get to know people! Everyone always has an interesting story.

So, there's a weekend in the new life of Claire. It's stellar. At least, I think so. :)

10lbs Heaver, 10x Happier

2011-09-06T20:44:00.000-06:00

View of Chicago from my rooftop

According to Blogger, I haven't posted since May. My bad!

At first, I was so stuck in Boulder that I didn't want to post anything. Who wants to write about unhappiness? That just sucks. But now, I've been so busy and happy in Chicago that I haven't had the time!

And then I gained 10 lbs. Damn amazing Chicago fried food! Ack! So, I need to recommit to my fitness and my health and my blog while continuing to be happy with my life.

Do you ever get to the point where you sometimes forget what happiness is? I had forgotten in Colorado. I was just getting through each day. My life wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great. Moving was one of the best things I have ever done.

I'm also permanently on vacation out here---which means that I'm eating like I'm permanently on vacation. I literally had restaurant kettle-fried chips for dinner. Oops! Time to stop that. Right now.

So, dear friends (all two of you), I'm ready and excited to continue sharing my happy life and my struggles with you. There's so much to tell! I will forge ahead... again.

Chicago

2011-05-13T14:38:00.000-06:00

I've announced the news everywhere---at work, to my friends and family, on Facebook, on Twitter, and to my new account on Tumblr.

I just haven't announced it here. Without further ado:

I'm picking up and moving to Chicago. My last day of work is June 24th and I hope to be "shipping out" soon after.

I already have a place lined up that is directly downtown (and cheaper than what I currently pay in Boulder) and two awesome roommates.

Basically, I'm thrilled! I can't wait to go. I want to go now. Right... now.

I'm unsure how much I will continue to post to this blog. Obviously I haven't kept up with it lately as I should. Maybe I'll chronicle my move on here? Or, maybe I'll just keep the excitement to myself. :)

Most of my time lately has been devoted to my Tumblr account: http://clairev04.tumblr.com/

I’ve realized that, for the moment, Tumblr suits me much better. I can quickly and easily post the random pictures, articles, quotes, and videos that make me laugh or think.

Even better, I don’t have to write something interesting and profound with every post (as I feel I have to do here). Sometimes things speak for themselves. Sometimes they need a little help.

No matter what, I’m excited to keep sharing things with you, dear, dear reader. (All 2 1/2 of you.)

Inspiration

2011-04-13T19:51:00.001-06:00

From PhotoPreneur

I love motivational statements and quotes. I have a little binder of quotes that I started in high school. Although I haven't added to it in years, this is one thing I would grab if a fire raged through the house.

I recently found a short, motivational article online at Men's Health and loved it (thanks, Twitter). This gets my quote-book-stamp-of-approval. You'll have to read the whole article here, but these are my two favorite tips:

6 Navy SEAL Tips to Achieve Mental Strength

Control Your Emotions Physically

"Ask a family member or friend to study your posture when you're happy or content. Then practice it, over and over. Your psyche will follow your body. You can literally control your emotions this way."

Break Big Goals into Small Targets

"How do you eat an elephant? One mouthful at a time. Don't wake up Monday morning and say, 'Four days and 16 hours till Friday.' Instead, wake up and say, 'Two hours till breakfast.' And then, 'Three hours till lunch.' Try to stay in the present."

***

I admit that I catch myself slouching. My physical actions can be disheartening and I can feel it everywhere.

So, Claire, stand up straight! Take every day moment by moment! Smile!

Smile...

Sewing, Family, Friends

2011-04-13T00:28:00.001-06:00

A lot has been going on these past few weeks, and I apologize for being MIA. (A constant apology.)

I often think that the things I do aren't exciting, until a few weeks go by and a number of pictures build up. So, I'll make this posting somewhat short and sweet.

First of all, sewing!

(Between sewing and cooking, I may eventually become a "woman" rather than just a "tomboy.")

Emily had an excellent idea last month to take a "Sewing 101" class at a downtown shop called the Fancy Tiger. Before this I had never touched a sewing machine in my life! I managed to get through the course without blowing anything up and I completed a small project. Emily and I are now determined to conquer the sewing world. I'm not nearly as good as Em at this point, but I did just complete my first at-home project! It took two days and thousands of times reseting the bobbin, but I completed it. The stitching is crooked and pooled up in places, but it's all a learning process, right? Right. Whew!

Sewing machine that I inherited from Amber

It's a purse organizer!

Rolled up neatly to fit in a purse

Second, family!

My family and I were finally able to get together for a "Christmas in April" party. It was great to see everyone and exchange white-elephant gifts. I got some stellar water bottles (an item that I could never own enough of). Some pictures of my amazing fam:

We look amazing! I promised Amber that I'd post this picture online.

Christmas in April chaos

Ava helped with all the presents

Andrew already has his hands on a tool set. We're all doomed.

The guys with Lexi.

My mom, Alissa, and Peter

Aunt Debbie and Andrew

What a beautiful family! Jason, Katie, and Lexi

Evan and Nicole

Finally, friends!

A group of us went to see the Rapids' home opener. They are the 2010 defending MLS cup champs! I have to admit that I didn't watch a single game last year---not even the playoffs. I'm a terrible soccer fan. I love playing the game, but I don't like watching it much. I'd rather watch hockey. Anywhoo... it was a windy evening, but still gorgeous and fun!

I also got to see Sol and Daria the other day. I love having these handsome men in my life.

Hot dogs!

Gorgeous sunset

Daria and Soloman

"Date a Girl Who Reads"

2011-03-28T16:44:00.000-06:00

I was pointed to this through Twitter, and subsequently adored it. It's from GoodReads.com, and it's perfect:

"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes."

— Rosemary Urquico

The Onion Wins Again

2011-03-14T18:07:00.000-06:00

I've always been a hockey fan, but recently I've been a borderline obsessed hockey fan.

Blame it on HBO's 24/7 Penguins v. Capitals documentary. This show managed to highlight both the beauty and strengths of the game itself as well as reveal the behind-the-scenes personalities of the players and coaches (not all of whom are beautiful or strong when the mask is off).

Men. Sweat. Hockey. Muscles.

This girl is in heaven!

But the game also has some humor behind it. Take, for example, The Onion's expertly crafted list of pros and cons of some the game's top players. Too funny!

Wayne Gretzky

Martin Brodeur

Sidney Crosby


Alexander Ovechkin

My favorite line is one of Wayne Gretzky's weak sides: "Um... Couldn't... Fly?"

Life's Answers

2011-03-14T00:04:00.001-06:00

I'm a planner.

I want answers.

Especially when it comes to my own life. I like knowing where I'm going to be in 6-months, a year, even 5-years. But, I'm quickly learning that being an adult it isn't that easy.

As an "adult," I now have the education, the ability, the health, and the knowledge that I can go wherever I want to go and do whatever I want to do.

But when the whole world is open to you, where do you go? Where do you even begin?

Call it a quarter-life crises. Call it opportunity.

Just tell me the answer please? Someone? Anyone?

Nevermind, I’ll figure it out for myself. Because these decisions are the joy of being an adult. (I think.)

I want my mommy.

Random Updates

2011-03-13T23:59:00.001-06:00

I know I'm not very consistent with posting and updating. Sorry about that!

So, here are some random life updates from the past few weeks.

First of all, it was recently Denver's 5280 Restaurant Week! This is where a number of top restaurants in the area create a 3-course menu that costs only $52.80 per couple. I've never done this before and to make up for lost time I went to four restaurants in a two-week period. I don't think I've ever eaten so much food in my life---and it was absolutely worth it. The places we checked out were:

John's Restaurant (Boulder)
The Cork House (Denver)
Arugula (Boulder)
8 Rivers (Denver)

The winners? John's, by far, for their incredible food and 8 Rivers for the awesome company.

To continue on with my life, the rest of this presentation will be brought to you by my awesome Panasonic camera.

Adam's birthday party in Blackhawk. Here are all the handsome men.

My car on a snowy March morning.

Long hike outside of Golden. You can see downtown Denver in the distance.

You can also see multimillion dollar homes on this hike. Le sigh.

We FINALLY won our indoor league!! (We were able to pull this off even after forfeiting the first 2 games of the season. Holla!)

Kyle and I at DU's playoff hockey game. Go Pios! (Notice the cheap photocopy? This is what my $40k/year education paid for. Awesome.)

Team huddle.

We won 3-2 in overtime!!!

The team saluting their crowd.

I ran in Denver's St. Patty's Day race this weekend. I was slow as I haven't been training much, but it was still good to get out there.

And, as you know, a blog post of mine wouldn't be complete without pictures of food. Lots and lots of food.

French onion soup in the crock pot.

The final result of the soup. Yum!

Shredded chicken from the crock pot. Ridiculously easy.

This was supposed to be a artichoke ravioli-type dish. Obviously it didn't turn out quite as I had envisioned.

Homemade mac n' cheese! It's filled with crumbled bacon, shredded chicken, and topped with breadcrumbs. Artery-clogging goodness.

The Perfect Body?

2011-03-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Body image is a difficult issue.

I struggle with it. Almost everyone I know struggles with it in some form or another.

I also pride myself as an athlete. Am I an Olympian? Buahaha! Absolutely not. But I do love anything fun and active.

My sister-in-law recently forwarded this article on to me. It's photographic proof that there is no ideal body type, even for Olympic athletes---and these people use their bodies to make a living.

Check out this article and flip through the pictures. Good stuff!

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/03/09/the-perfect-body-as-illustrated-by-olympic-athletes/

Does this assuage all my fears about the perfect body image? No. But it does help.

Superbowl Cookies

2011-02-13T20:08:00.001-07:00

I know, I know, the Superbowl was a week ago---but I'm finally getting to my pictures. Last Sunday was cold and snowy, so chocolate chip cookies were in order.

Baking with the roomies (well, I baked... we all ate):

Cookies! One batch has chopped pecans.

Roomies in the kitchen

We ate a couple as they were cooling down.

I look amazing on Sunday mornings, ch-obviously.

Our team mascot, Kaiser.

The cookies were at hit at one of the two Superbowl parties we attended (the batch was eaten before the second party). They were even used to make some... unique... sandwiches. I can't explain it, just know that candle wax was used as a topping . Yummy?

Music

2011-02-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm behind on pop culture. I haven't been to a theater in ages and I have a hard time sitting down for movies as it is. However, I love corny, poppy, booty-shakin' music where I can rock out in the car or at the gym.

Some of my favorite songs/videos lately:

Bruno Mars, Grenade (I rock out to this every time!)

Rock Mafia, The Big Bang (this video startled me---not what I was expecting)

Jerrod Niemann, Lover, Lover (a little country for y'all)

Marry Me, Train (a sweet song and video that speaks to the inner romantic in me)

Dear Kindle: Happy Valentine's Day. I Heart You.

2011-02-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Why, hello handsome! I'm talking about the Kindle here. Yeah, that's it. Ahem, definitely looking at the Kindle...

I've already told y'all many times how much I love and adore my Kindle. But my buddy, Matt, was just debating on whether or not to get one himself. So, for him and everyone else out here, let me explain why it's so awesome. The reason is simple:

I read more.

Honestly, I read 10-times more now with the Kindle than I did with paper books. Before I would get bored or frustrated with a title, set it down, and never read anything because I felt guilty for not finishing the one book. With the Kindle, I just go to the menu and pick another title that suits my mood.

For example, books that I have read over the past few months (an asterisk by the title name means that I recommend it!):

Top-Sellers:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (The original title is "Men Who Hate Women." That is a much more apt description of this book.)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
*The Help by Kathryn Stockett
*Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
*Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
My Horizonal Life by Chelsea Handler
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

I admit that love corny chic-lit and romance novels. They're quick, easy, and fun. (I read academic texts for work, so anything that's a departure from that then I'm all about it!)

Nora Roberts (Every single Roberts story has the same plot-line and basic character set, but its a formula that always pleases. Just don't put too much thought into it.)
Bed of Roses
Savor the Moment
Happily Ever After

J.R. Ward (A mix between vampires, special-ops, sci-fi, and romance. Slightly more thinking involved than Roberts and therefore slightly more fun.)
*Crave
Covet
Dark Lover

Other cheesy romance titles:
*Enchanting the Lady, My Unfair Lady, and the Firelord's Lover by Kathryn Kennedy

Mixed titles:
The Trump Card by Ivanka Trump
House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
*The Virginian by Owen Wister (one of my all-time favorite books)

Of course, I have opinions about each and every title---but I won't bore you with them now. If you're interested in a reading one of these books and would like to know my thoughts then shoot me a line! I'd be happy to talk about it. (Internet book club, holla!)

The final thing that contributes to my love affair with the Kindle is that you can get cute accessories for it. This is where the awesomeness that is Etsy comes into play: cute Kindle sleeves.

Happy reading!

Focus

2011-01-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

I feel like my life has been very much "in limbo" lately. I'm trying to figure everything out (whatever that means). What are my next steps? Where do I want to go from here? What are the opportunities that are available to me? What are the opportunities that I need to create?

My head is going to explode just thinking about it.

So, in the meantime I've been trying to take one day at a time. What are the little steps I can take? What are the things I enjoy?

For example, this weekend has been excellent. I've been able to cook, eat lots of food, spend time with family and friends, and also focus on myself (and focus on my growing pile of laundry).

Here are some great pics from my Saturday morning hike with family and friends. It was 60-degrees in Denver---in January! Heaven.

View from our hike in Deer Creek Canyon

My brother, Peter, his wife, Alissa, and their awesome dogs Dublin and Rowdy

Adam and his huskies, Deuce and Maverick

Peter and I

Adam and I

I also headed to Downtown Denver on Saturday night for a friend's birthday party. We started the evening with dinner and desserts at The D Bar (short for The Dessert Bar). Oh. My. God. The place was amazing. It's tiny and seats about 8 people, but the wait was worth it. Go there. Now.

My cooking conquests also continue. I love cooking because it's a challenge for me. I started not long ago knowing nothing. I could barely boil a pot of pasta. With every new recipe I feel like I've accomplished something... I learned something... I grew in a small way. It's all about baby steps.

Since the weather is getting colder again, I dusted off the Crockpot and made some homemade chili and cornbread.

Steaming chili

Skillet cornbread

Yum!

I'm trying to take one day at a time and celebrate the little accomplishments as they come. So far, it's working.

Clueless with a Camera

2011-01-23T21:26:00.003-07:00

I haven't posted in a while; since around the new year---obviously. And, to be honest, I have nothing new or informative or exciting to write about. Everything's good, just, ya know, nothing new. I've been busy with work and family and friends. All positive, just not blog-worthy.

Since I have my fancy new camera, here are a few things that have been going on:

My gorgeous new car!

Emily scored some 4th row tickets for the Avs game! Opening faceoff.

At the Mammoth game for Em's bday!

Union Station, downtown Denver.

2011 Denver Stock Show! Some cowboy booty.

Colorado sunrise

Family fun at the Brewery Bar II

Kitchen conquest! Skillet pork chops with apples and red onions.

Yummy!

Babysitting the kiddos! Ava and Andrew.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T15:23:00.008-07:00

My niece, Ava, ringing in the New Year!

I am super-excited for 2011. Last year seemed to be a tough year for most people. Admittedly, it was a tough year for me. Not that everything will change at the stroke of midnight, but the initial outlook and excitement of a new year is inspiring. I have a number of things that I'd like to work on or strive toward, but I don't want to call them "resolutions." This is because I always have goals for myself and because the word "resolution" often equates to failure. We laugh at people's feeble attempts to work out every day or eat perfectly or whatever. However, I believe that working towards self-improvement, whether you do or don't finish a specific task, should never mean failure. The action of doing something alone means that you are a step ahead! That's my pep talk for this year.
One of my goals for 2011 is to continue cooking and to try even more recipes. So, this morning I dragged myself to the gym (I'm an out-of-shape mofo! Another thing to work on...), ran to the grocery store, and came home to make a spicy Thai green curry dish. This stuff is soooo good and sooooo spicy that it was making me sweat. Yum! I adapted the recipe from here. I can tell I'm becoming a better cook when I now can look at a recipe and easily adapt it according to my tastes and what is in my kitchen.

Score!!! Pictures! (Taken with my new, awesome camera that Santa brought for Christmas.)

Thai Green Curry in the skillet. Lots and lots of food. Yum!

Heaven, anyone?

Random, but here's a picture of my roommate, Miles.
This man lives on cereal and his TV. True story. Love it!

Why I Bought a Sports Car

2010-12-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

I bought one of my dream cars on Monday. A 2001 Audi TT Quattro. 'Lemme explain the beauty of this car:

225 hp
Turbo
All-time four-wheel drive (Quattro)
6-speed manual
0-60 mph in 7.4 seconds
And, most importantly… it’s fun. It puts a grin on my face every time I start it up. And the way it handles corners? Heaven.

Hello, beautiful!

My old car was "circling the drain." It was a 1997 Audi A4 with 193,000 miles on it. It was 13-years old, had a ton of miles, and served me amazingly well over the years. But, little things were starting to go wrong. Eventually, it was costing more to keep things running than the poor little thing was worth.

The A4 broke again last week. Over Christmas I decided that it was time to start looking for a new car. I found one yesterday and I love it!

I have to admit, though, that the fun and excitement of my new car is being diminished by all the naysayers.

"I’d donate to charity before I’d buy an expensive car."

"Sports cars are terrible in the snow."

"You can’t fit any luggage or people in the car. Maybe a bag of groceries will squeeze into the trunk."

"It’s noisy."

"Where does the child seat go?"

"You’re going through a quarter-life crisis."

To all of you Fun-Police out there, here’s my response:

I spent days thoroughly researching my budget, my options, and the available cars out there. My stipulations were this:

The car must be $10k or under.
It must have under 100,000 miles on it.
It must be under 10-years old.
It must be a manual.
And most importantly… again… it must make me grin.

When it comes down to it, cars are just a bucket of bolts. If a car didn’t meet the above criteria, then I would quickly and easily walk away. I had to love the purchase.

My father (who’s a certified mechanic and general genius) and I spent the weekend printing, researching, reading reviews, and comparing vehicles. We had Monday mapped out to explore a number of options. I could tell you about our day in detail, but basically it comes down to this:

You must test-drive a car before you even think about buying it!

So, after driving cars all day, I fell in love with the last car on my list, the Audi TT. Here’s why (all you naysayers, listen up!):

Audi quality is incredible. After test-driving a number of cars, my super-old 1997 Audi still felt like it was better made than some cars built within the last 5-years.

Also, the Audi's power; the driving experience—it's unsurpassed. I drove a VW GTI and while I was impressed with its ability to get up and go, I could honestly feel the gaps within the turbo. The GTI would spool up at about 3,200 RPM, let off, and then pick up again around 5,000 RPM. The TT, in contrast, is pure power from start to finish. Wow.

Finally—and the biggest argument of all—the money. Let me clarify that my used Audi TT, which is in impeccable condition, was less expensive than a brand new Ford, Hyundai, or Kia (typically considered cheaper brands). A 2011 Ford Focus, which is considered an "affordable" car, starts at $17,000. The No. 1 most affordable car in the US is a Ford Fiesta—it starts at $13,855. I paid $10,000 "out the door" for my TT (meaning it included all taxes and dealer fees).

Also, people who spend more money on their cars typically spend more time taking care of them. My TT has full service records. The previous owner took it to the dealer’s certified shop even for oil changes. The maintenance of this car is impeccable. How many people spend that much time and money taking care of their Fiesta? Probably none. And they wonder why their car craps out at 110,000 miles.

So, to those who say "Why a sports car?" or "I’d donate to charity before I’d buy an expensive car," my response is this: I got a nicer car, in better condition, for less money. So, fuck you!

As to the rest of the statements:

"Sports cars are terrible in the snow."

The TT is all-time all-wheel drive (Quattro). It's heavy and low to the ground. Snow tires are key for any car because they're the only material touching the ground. Put a giant box on four little tires (an SUV) and you have trouble handling that thing in any condition!

"You can’t fit any luggage or people in the car. Maybe a bag of groceries will squeeze into the trunk."

How many times do I actually have another person in my car, much less multiple people? Maybe a dozen times a year. Maybe. My grocery shopping is equally minimal. My old trunk held a subwoofer and amp. That's it. I rarely used it. Besides, I don't like people. Why would I want them in my car?

"It’s noisy."

Yes, but damn, does it sound good! The purr of the dual exhaust is beautiful. Besides, I’ve almost gotten hit by Priuses on many occasions because you can’t hear the damn things in a parking lot! All of the sudden, they're on top of you. You know how motorcyclists have bumper stickers that say "Loud Pipes Save Lives?" Well, it’s true.

"Where does the child seat go?"

Child seat? What child seat? Why would I want that?

"You’re going through a quarter-life crisis."

Maybe so, but it comes down to this: It’s a great, sexy, fun car; I can afford it; it works for my needs; and when else can I enjoy a car like this? When I’m 55? No thanks!

So, to all you haters, naysayers, and Fun Police: Fuck You! My car was a thoroughly researched and affordable decision. And, most importantly, I’ll be grinning as I smoke you from the line.

Style Assessment

2010-12-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last week I went for a Style Assessment with local consultant, Milena Joy.

I've been wanting to work with a style consultant for a while now. If you're plumbing is broken, you hire a plumber. If your teeth need cleaning, you go to the dentist. If you need help getting in shape, you hire a trainer. A stylist, for me, falls within this realm. I need help.

I'm horrible at shopping. I like new things, but I hate the process of getting them. I don't have a "vision" for color, or cuts, or how a separate piece would fit within my closet.

So I went to see Milena. First of all, she gave me some homework. I was supposed to go through a magazine and pull out looks that I loved and that I hated. I also had to answer questions about my current style. What do I wear to work? What do I wear casually? How much do I typically spend? What are looks and/or pieces that I'd like to strive for?

The homework was hard. It's difficult to look at yourself objectively. Basically, the answer for my current wardrobe is: Ratty jeans, beat up heels, and a cotton shirt. Ouch.

All in all, the consultation was amazing and fabulous and informative. What fascinated me the most is learning about my colors. I look best in warm colors---darker and slighted muted tones. I also learned that I basically look good in anything that is green, yellow, orange (I never would've thought of yellow or orange!), beige or ivory, and blue (everyone looks good in blue). Also, harsh colors such as black and white aren't the best for me. Considering that half my closet is those two colors, I have my work cut out for me.

We also went over hair, makeup (Milena recommended "espresso" eyeliner to make my green eyes pop---and, of course, she was right!), height and proportions, and even recommended brands and cuts that are good for me. Since I'm bustier than a lot of women, I need to look at v-necks and boat necks. High necklines will just make me look top-heavy.

New rules that I love:

1.) Look for 3-pieces to complete your outfit (at a minimum). For example, today I'm wearing a ruffled tank top, a ruffled button up western-style shirt, and knee-high brown boots with skinny jeans. I never would've paired the two ruffled pieces before, but the textures make a huge difference!

Trying to be stylish with ruffles! (P.S. What in the world am I looking at?)

1. ) Always go shopping for a complete outfit. This includes a skirt, top, and heels or a necklace/accessory. You think you have eight tops at home that "might" work, but they never look quite right and your new skirt goes unworn.

3.) Only shop about twice a year. Be sure to pick items that are easily interchangeable amongst each other. Budget shopping and sales rarely work. (Thank goodness because I hate budget shopping.)

As soon as Christmas is over, I'm dragging my friend Emily out to hit Nordstrom's with me. Woot, woot!

Here are some new styles that I was able to pull from MarieClaire.com. It's amazing how I can look at these pictures with a discerning eye now. Exciting!

I should look for angled designs and lower-neck tops.

Here's an example of another angled skirt. Paired with a solid, colorful top it could look great.

Suit jacket with green cami underneath.

I love this bag. I would just stroke the soft leather for days.

This is something that wouldn't work for me. Flowy or circular patters are not good, and the red isn't my color.

Now this is something that would work! I don't own any orange right now, but this outfit is definitely something I'll be looking for.

Gold jewelry looks better on me than silver. In fact, in the "color analysis" I learned that silver and grey (the other half of my wardrobe) completely wash me out and make me look sallow. Note to self.

Pretty ivory skirt in a sophisticated cut.

A little summer blazer to show off my ripped arms. Hah!

This is something I wouldn't be caught dead in. Seriously.

Structured camel trousers.

You can't go wrong with a pencil skirt.

This is a pretty notebook. Like the purse pictured earlier, I love the classic leather.

Statement necklaces can be an outfit in and of themselves. In the summer, jeans, a white tank top, and a statement necklace can say a lot.

This is a jacket that would not look good on me. The silver color and shine, the high neckline, and puffy sleeves all would be a bad combination.

Yes, tan/brown can be sophisticated.

I love my current Tissot watch, but this pretty number also caught my eye. Too bad it's $1,700!

Yellow is another color that I don't have in my closet, but that would look great on me. This dress would be great both in and out of the office.

Road Race

2010-12-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

I love running road races throughout town. Shockingly enough, my favorite time to run is during the winter. Typically the races are smaller and the temperatures are cooler---which means more fun and better race times!

Last weekend I ran the ColderBoulder which is a 5K that loops around the University of Colorado campus.

Giving the photographer the hairy eyeball

In doing some research, I noticed that my 5K races have been consistently around the 26-minute mark---about 8:30 miles. Not too bad, but I'd like to improve.

So, I'm saying it here and now: My new goal is to run a sub-24 minute 5K (8 minute miles). Let the training commence!

Scared

2010-12-02T02:03:00.004-07:00

From www.123rf.com

No wonder why so many people have a hard time sticking to exercise programs. I’m somewhat of a veteran compared to most gym-goers and yet I have to confess that The. Gym. Is. Scary. It scares the living crap out of me. Every day.

The following is an admission of my fears and my failure.

Let’s start from the beginning.

About 9-months ago I sprained my knee and was sidelined from soccer and the hours and hours of cardio that we women love to do. Inspired by all my fitness friends, I decided to pick up weightlifting.

This was a scary first step. First of all, in my gym the women congregate around the treadmills and ellipticals and the men stick to the machines and free weights. Venturing into “that area” (the weights) meant I was typically either the only woman or one of three women lifting. The men were never rude or lewd—but you can tell that they’re always watching. I’d like to think that a.) I’m hot shit despite the fact that I haven't shaved my legs recently and b.) I have perfect form, but I know both are untrue. Maybe it’s like seeing the Loch Ness Monster—women are so rare in “that area” that the guys can’t stop staring.

So, I sucked it up and started lifting a couple times a week while following a vague program I found online. I literally had to talk myself over to the weights each time because it was scary. Lifting was new and different. Luckily, I quickly got the movements down and was feeling more confident. But after a while I knew I wasn’t getting stronger. Eventually my workouts digressed to the point that even a light day left me exhausted and unwilling. I felt like crap all the time—in or out of the gym.

I decided I’d had enough. I hired a trainer on November 1. Dave set up a great program with tons of movements and options. He specifically directed that if an exercise hurt or if I felt worse then I should stop immediately. Great. Sounds good. Whatever.

“Updates? Successes? Progress? Questions?”

The first workouts went great. I felt strong, motivated, and I only had a few questions which were quickly answered. But a week and a half into the program and only a handful of workouts done, I got sidetracked. Again. Dave emailed me on Monday morning and asked how everything was going. “It’s been three weeks,” he said. “Updates? Successes? Progress? Questions?” I feigned that I was “too busy” to respond and dodged him for two days. In the end, I had to answer to him—and I had to answer to myself.

Why did I lose track after such a short time? It comes down to this…

I got scared.

The “what-ifs” overtook me. What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t stick to it? What will people think of me? Why do I have to carry this stupid notebook around and track everything—do I look like an idiot? What if I don’t get stronger/leaner/better?

So I went back to what was easy and comfortable. I started running again and playing a million soccer games every week. Isn’t this how I got injured in the first place? Isn’t this how I lost track? I didn’t care. It was comfortable.

“Claire, I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed.”

I finally confessed to Dave that I got sidetracked. I literally asked him to yell at me. “I deserve it,” I said. Instead, Dave used the “d-word.” He explained, “Claire, I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed.” He asked how we can adjust the program. What will work better? How can I become more motivated? Even though I still wish he yelled at me, this struck home. The “d-word” is worse than yelling, tears, denial… everything. He’s disappointed in me and more to the point, I’m disappointed in myself.

Ouch.

“You just got not to be so… scared.”

I’m going to have to suck it up and conquer these fears. In one of my favorite movies, Strictly Ballroom (a chick flick, I know), the mother says to her daughter in a thick Spanish accent, “You just got not to be so… scared.”

The gym is scary. New programs are scary. Life is scary. But I can overcome my self-imposed obstacles and get better.

I'm going to hit the gym. I'm going to confidently use the free weights and carry around my little notebook. But in the meantime, I’m still going to avoid the gym crowds and hit the weights at 5:30 am or 9:30 pm. I may be getting stronger, but I can’t move mountains yet.

The Holidays

2010-11-29T15:54:00.002-07:00

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I have to say that the holiday season is my favorite time of the year. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. Love them! And yet, I hate all the minor holidays. St. Patrick's Day? Halloween? New Years? Blugh. Hate.

I'm a minor-holiday Scrooge.

But, back to the joyous part of the season. Things I love:

1. My family. All of our family events are (mostly) low-key. Nothing stuffy about it. Eat lots of food and have fun---that's it! This year's Thanksgiving involved a number of games in which the boys killed the girls on "Catch Phrase." I also got annihilated in Checkers. Boooo.

2. Friends. We're all busy with the season, so whenever we're able to carve out some time to get together it's even more meaningful. Besides, everyone has a great stories about gift-buying mishaps and office holiday parties.

Speaking of gifts, what in world am I going to get my boss??? She has a little BMW Z3 which she loves (understandably). Maybe I could get her a BMW scarf?

3. For some reason, the colors of red and green say Christmas to me in the month of December. A car's tail lights under a green traffic light? Christmas. Weird, I know.

4. Food. I heart food. In fact, I haven't shared my recent kitchen adventures... so here's what I've been up to:

Oatmeal Cookies

Chickpea and peppers stir fry over basmati rice. Yum!


I was too lazy to go to the grocery store, so I made this "Kitchen Sink Spaghetti." Whole grain noodles, sauteed onions and spinach, cheesy marinara sauce, and red pepper flakes. Get in my belly!

On another note, here are some random, fun pictures on my phone:


I saw these cards at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science when I went with my niece & nephew a couple of weeks ago---a fun time! Anyway, even though these pictures are of trout and not bass, I still love the idea. I should have grabbed a box to use for Christmas cards.

Avs game!! We played the Minnesota Wild this weekend and killed them 7-4. Great seats and great company! I heart hockey.

So there's my brief holiday update. I hope to have something more meaningful to post soon. (And I'll post more frequently, promise!)

Buried

2010-11-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to focus on my life lately. As in, my life outside of the office.

Except that it's really hard to do that when I'm literally buried in work.

Le sigh...

Personal Branding

2010-10-27T20:59:00.002-06:00

In keeping up with the social media scene, the current buzz word seems to be "personal branding." For example, check out this Mashable article by Dan Schawbel. How do you present yourself to the online community? What are your interests, goals, and experiences? More importantly, what is your personal or professional expertise?

This last question is where I struggle. Specifically, I have trouble with the word "expertise." In my mid-20s I don't consider myself an expert on anything---and I don't see this as a weakness. This is the time to explore our interests, goals, dreams, and desires both personally and professionally.

Do I know a lot about my profession? Of course. But, I am nowhere near the level of "expert." In fact, I am learning new things every day. That's one of the things I love about what I do. There's always new authors, new topics, new manuscripts, and new business challenges and I have to treat each task separately. Hardly an "expert" mindset, I'm sure.

Despite this, I think that there are good reasons to network yourself through social media. Am I an expert? No. But am I an intelligent, dedicated, and interesting person? Absolutely. Hopefully this latter part shows through my online portfolio.

Organize Your Writing

2010-10-22T15:32:00.008-06:00

From LegalGeekery

I recently edited a friend’s law school admission essay. He would like to pursue business law and wrote a great story about how his current job and experience in growing a fledging business has led him to this field.

Except, when he got to his final paragraph—the most important part of the whole essay!—he lost focus. He wants to be a lawyer so badly and for so many reasons that he tried to spew it out all at once. His confusion was there on paper for us all to see. There were disagreements between subjects and objects; there were run-on sentences; and I think he talked about a blooming flower once or twice.

This is a mistake a lot of writers make. We want something so much that it’s incredibly hard to articulate. “I just want it, okay?”

So, these are the suggestions that I offered to him and, therefore, are offering to you in your own writing projects:

Please delete the flowery writing. There’s a time and a place for this and a law school application is not it. Additionally, flowery statements signal to me that the person is hiding behind metaphors rather than choosing the right word—a sign of a poor writer. If you don’t believe me (or if you want to learn more), check out On Writing Well.

You need to break down the various reasons as to why you want to be a lawyer/doctor/writer/whatever. For example, my friend wants to help people, resolve disputes, develop his business acumen, become a good lawyer, get international experience, and… and… and.... Whew! In one sentence, this is overwhelming. If each point is instead broken down, it appears both possible and admirable. Provide examples and then provide more examples. (Examples and quotes are what got me through my English degree. Worked for my History degree as well. Who'd have thunk it?)

Don’t lose your personal voice. My friend was very good at telling his story, but in the conclusion he switched gears and wrote what he thinks he should say. Yes, he wants to become a lawyer, but the law school committee already knows about lawyers; what they do, what they’re like. They’re more interested in your personal contribution!

I have yet to see my friend’s second draft, but I hope (as all editors do) that he’ll take my comments and at least consider them as an option. Many times, just thinking about a certain sentence can lead to a whole new direction that’s even better than the one I proposed.

I hope this is helpful! And keep writing, y'all—practice makes perfect.

Learning New Things About... Myself

2010-10-19T16:48:00.004-06:00

Despite the 20-some-odd years of living within my head, I'm still learning new things about myself. My thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes---you name it. It's all fascinating, and sometimes a little shocking.

Things I've recently learned about myself:

I bought a dress (gasp!). I never wear dresses unless attending a formal event, such as a wedding. I love this dress and I feel like I belong in the show Mad Men while wearing it. Except that it has been sitting in my closet for 3 weeks. For some reason, I can't seem to wear it in public. Sigh.

I don't like coconut milk (or anything coconut flavored, really). I made this great spicy Thai Green Curry recipe. Except that it calls for coconut milk to mix the curry. Coconut is a giant mask that covers the taste of everything surrounding it. It's like crop-dusting your food with coconut-foul. The leftovers are now sitting in my fridge, untouched. Next time, I'm using broth instead of the abomination that is coconut milk.

The Denver Art Museum has free admission on the first Saturday of every month. I need to go more often. I recently killed some time just wandering around their gift shop and it took everything in me to not buy out their print and card collections.

I often pride myself as being a very motivated and hard-working individual. But some days I need a little help getting out of bed when the alarm goes off. (More days than I'd like to admit, actually.) So I took some cornball advice and created a motivational poster. The magazines I clipped from also tells you something about me: Better Homes & Gardens (thanks, Christy!), Runner's World, and Oxygen. There is a lot of blank space because I plan on regularly adding to it. This poster has only been in my life for a couple of days, but I already love it! It's amazing what a few words and a little bit of glue can do for you.

From Eco Street

Moving. Moving is scary, scary shiz. First, though, I need to find a new position that suits both my interests and my skills. I'm excited about the prospect, and a little nervous. But if it isn't hard then it isn't worth doing, right? Right??

In the end it'll work out. It always does.

And I'll have fun learning new tips and tricks about myself along the way.

My Favorite Websites

2010-10-06T17:20:00.008-06:00

From i can has cheezburger

Everyone has their favorite websites. Some are fun, some are educational, and most are downright a waste of time (the best kind!). That's the joy of the internet. That's the joy of communication.

In no particular order, here are the websites that I have bookmarked and check regularly:

First of all, Twitter. I love and adore Twitter---10 times more than Facebook. Fb is incredibly narcissistic. Admit it, we all develop and stress over our perfect profiles and posted pictures. Twitter, on the other hand, is about the conversation. I've learned sooooo many things from 'listening' to everyone. Life is about learning and growing---and sometimes kvetching---and this online community will get you through it.

Career-Oriented/Money
I Will Teach You To Be Rich (also check out Ramit's book)
   Steller information with great, accessible writing---saving, earning, investing... everything. Also, he makes me feel better with links about why it's better to be a poor renter.
Ms. Career Girl
   A great little blog from another 20-something career girl just trying to make it in the world.
Mint.com
   Instead of checking every separate bank/credit card site, I log into this little gem. It also shows my IRA account and my earnings vs. spending for the month.

Girly Things (a.k.a. websites that prove I have no taste or skill)
Fab Finds Under 50
   This woman, Kimberly, can make clothes from Wal-Mart look good. Incredible!
Wardrobe911
The clothes featured are a rather expensive, but I like seeing the combinations and possibilities.
New Dress A Day
   I can't even sew on a button. This girl rocks. You have to check out the level of inspiration and creativity here.
The Pioneer Woman
Every woman I know and love can't get enough of this site. It's a nation-wide phenomenon. Everything about this site rocks. Everything.

Fitness and Health
Athlete Creator
From Dave, someone I now call a friend. His rants can be entertaining.
Stretch Exercise Eat
From another friend, Adam. He's a lawyer based in Korea who can hold a conversation about anything and everything . I'm proud to say that I've introduced him to the awesome that is Sons of Anarchy---thus the "Opie" hat featured in TXP.
Fit Day
A great site for tracking your daily calories and exercise. When it comes to losing weight, it really does come down to calories in versus calories out. This helps to quickly and easily track everything---especially if you stick with it. Like any diet, I go back and forth with using this site consistently.

News
The "Breaking News" feed in Twitter is the bomb-diggity.
New York Times
Fascinating in-depth articles and great writing. If you want quick and easy stories, this is not the place to go. Otherwise, it's my top news source.
CNN
This site, however, is quick and easy. All the top news in the world. Oftentimes, scanning headlines will give me the lay of the land for the day.
MSBC
  This site a little more eye-catching with pictures and slideshows, but I often get frustrated with how many videos they post online. If I wanted to watch videos, I'd turn on the TV.
Drudge Report
Not exactly unbiased, but Matt Drudge is well-known for spotting the biggest stories.
The Denver Post
   I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. Even your website is terrible.

Random/Fun
TMZ
I mean, really. It's TMZ. It's fun and keeps me up-to-date with my Lindsay Lohan obsession.
The Oatmeal
The comics are HI-to the-LARIOUS! Two of my recent favorites are Juicy Fruit and Email.

What are your favorite sites? What am I missing? I'm sure there's a site---or five---that need to be added to my list.

I Like Food

2010-10-04T12:17:00.002-06:00

I have to admit, this learning-to-cook thing is fun. A lot of fun! Of course, I have a loooooong way to go, but every time I try a new recipe I feel slightly more confident in the kitchen.

After eating my heart out at Lake Powell, I need to start watching my calories. My jeans are a little too tight for comfort.

Nonetheless, I am displaying some of the recipes I've conquered over the past month or so. Food porn. Enjoy!

Rice Crispy Treats with Peanut M&Ms

I made these for our most recent Guns & Garters extravaganza. Shooting guns is shockingly fun. I like it. Be scared. Be very scared.

The peanut M&M addition was compliments of my roommate---and a stellar idea it was.

Baked Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

The recipe said four servings. Obviously, there are seven burritos here. Luckily they're quick and easy to freeze and I can pull one out for a quick dinner at any time.

The yummy stuffing: monterey jack cheese, brown rice, spicy black beans, mashed sweet potatoes.

The spicy black beans were a particular favorite. I'll have to remember this mix and include it in anything and everything. Yum!

Banana Crumb Muffins, a popular recipe from All Recipes

These were good, but I like my other recipe for banana bread better.

Pioneer Woman's Artichoke Dip

Also yummy, but not one of my favorites. I'm a cheese and queso person. :)

Addditionally, I have been smart enough to beg for lessons from some of my amazing friends.

Emily!

Here's Emily on one of our girl's/baking nights where we gossip, make new recipes, and eat our creations while watching chick flicks. She is making an amazing chocolate and peanut butter dessert---waaaay better than Reese's peanut butter cups!

Breakfast Casserole

Here's a breakfast casserole recipe I got from a friend and took to Lake Powell with me.

It's a mixture of eggs, milk, sauteed veggies, spicy sausage, and lots o' cheese. A new favorite!!!

Chocolate Pots du Creme

And, here are some absolutely decadent Chocolate Pots du Creme. The one and only time I've watched the Food Network, they were making this and I had to have it. I even tracked down the recipe online.

Delicious!

I had my aspiring chef friend, Matt, help me with these. Too bad I didn't get his picture. In any case, any type of souffle is very hard to get right, and without Matt being there I would've messed up the recipe countless times!

I also learned that I'm ungodly slow at cooking. I knew that I was slow in the first place, but it truly came to light while watching Matt. For example, I slowly and carefully beat eggs. He just picks up the bowl and whisks the hell out of them. I mean, really, they're beaten eggs. Why be a perfectionist here? So many things to learn... I love it.

I get by with a little help from my friends.

I Have the Cutest Neice and Nephew in the World

2010-09-25T23:27:00.000-06:00

Seriously. They're adorable. Check out how awesome they are here: http://outofdifficultiesgrowsmiracles.blogspot.com/

As further proof, here are some pictures we got from a recent lunch with my family.

My parents with Ava, who's almost 2

My parents with Andrew. My new nickname for this little man is Chunky Monkey.

My brother, Peter, and his wife, Alissa, with Andrew

I had to steal this photo from Facebook, but here is my oldest brother, Graham, and his wife, Amber, with their two cuties.

Adorable

Lemme rephrase the title of this post: I have the cutest family in the world---except for my smelly brothers of course. They're smelly.

Lake Powell

2010-09-08T09:25:00.000-06:00

From Tell The Truth Travel

I'm leaving for Lake Powell on a 10-day vacation.

Lake Powell heals my soul. And trust me, my soul could use some major TLC right now.

A lot of other things have been going on lately, but I don't care about them. I only care about Powell.

We Know More Than We Think We Do

2010-09-01T12:58:00.004-06:00

Oftentimes, I feel like I don’t know anything. Seriously. I am just a mass of cells or whatever wandering around the universe with no purpose---and no intelligence.

Then someone asks a question and I’m able to quickly and succinctly answer them or, at a minimum, send them in the right direction.

So maybe we know more than we think?

For example:

1. At work, the editors who are technically above me constantly ask for my advice on everything from letters and book descriptions to how to deal with difficult authors. It’s amazing how much I know about the publishing business. If I can’t answer, at least I am aware enough to say, “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask x or check out y?”

2. Cooking. I freak out every year when it comes to planning meals for our Lake Powell trip. I don’t know why. I’ve become a significantly better cook over the last year (I could only go up from incompetence). However, when cooking at home the only person who suffers from a complete mishap is me or my roommates. When on vacation, the 5 of us eat only two meals---breakfast and dinner---and we eat well. Very, very well.

The good news, though, is that I’m not as intimidated by new recipes. I already have my two dinners planned. Breakfasts are a challenge since I never make them on my own. I don’t think the guys will be too pleased with my standard instant oatmeal or yogurt and granola. I’m actually excited to try some new breakfast recipes this weekend. If they don’t work, there’s always eggs, bacon, and pancakes---and you can’t go wrong with the classics.

3. I don’t consider myself a fitness expert by any means. I do admit that I’m more active than the “average” person (whatever that means). Living in Boulder, I usually think that I suck as 60-year-olds pass me on trail runs. Recently, though, a number of friends have asked for my advice on training---and shockingly, I can answer their questions as well. More importantly, answering their questions means sending them to more reputable sources.

So maybe we shouldn't sell ourselves short? No, I don't know everything nor do I profess to. But then again, I'm not a waste of space either.

Triathlon Recap

2010-08-30T15:18:00.001-06:00

See this? This was not my triathlon experience.

Let me explain how my first triathlon went: I survived.

That's about all I can say.

No, really, I had a lot of fun with my friends. I also realized that triathlons aren't my thing. At least not right now. I hated training for the tri so much that I ended up not training at all. I was more out of shape coming into the race than I had been for months. Not good.

Right now I am absolutely thrilled to get back to my normal soccer/running/lifting routine. It's like heaven.

After the race with my lovely coworkers

Do I regret doing the tri? Absolutely not. Will I do another one. Not anytime soon. Maybe when I'm 55 or something and need low-impact training.

The bright side: Another event crossed off the bucket list.

Next task: Actually create a bucket list.

Excited to be close to the finish. This is probably the most energy I exhibited all morning.

Books

2010-08-26T18:23:00.001-06:00

This is what happens when I go to a conference surrounded by other booksellers. As a book lover, I end up buying more books than I sell. My bad. They were only $3-$5---how could I resist?

Sorry, Kindle. I love and adore you, but you'll be set aside for a short time while I plow through my new stash.

Atlanta Post-Op

2010-08-19T11:11:00.002-06:00

View from my hotel room

I got back from Atlanta late Tuesday night.

Yesterday I played catch-up at work. Today, I'm playing catch-up at work. Tomorrow, I'll be playing catch-up at work.

I love traveling.

No, seriously. It was actually a great trip! I really enjoyed visiting a new city and enjoyed Atlanta more than I thought I would. The conference went well and I was able to have a lot of good conversations with our authors.

Funny stories:

1. I could understand my Ethiopian cab driver just fine. But the guy at the hotel front desk with a Southern accent? Clueless.

2. When it's cloudy and rainy in Colorado, it usually means that it's chilly and you'll want a jacket. In Atlanta, it means that it is, in fact, hotter. One night when I was able to escape the conference hotel for dinner, it looked a little dreary so I changed out of my suit and put on a light jacket. And then I almost died of heatstroke. Some young college kids were catcalling and then, soon after, yelled something like, "Why are you wearing a jacket? Aren't you sweltering? It's hot as hell out here!" I quickly scurried off in embarrasement because, well, they're right. Lesson learned---no jackets.

3. Andrew, our acquisitions editor, and I went nuts at the book exhibit with our own money. $3 books, how can you resist? We bought so many books, we had to ship them back with the rest of our company materials.

As far as food and exploring the city, the hotel was in a pretty bad location. There wasn't much around except the CNN offices, the Coca-Cola exhibit (which unfortunately I didn't get to see) and the Hard Rock Cafe (blugh). You had to walk at least 20-minutes to get to some of the unique and fun parts of the city. Luckily I ventured out Saturday morning and found Babs in a neighborhood they call Midtown (the area reminds me of the Highlands in Denver).

Relaxing outside of Babs.

Baked hashbrowns with turnips, green onions, and lots of cheese, topped with a fried egg. Heaven!

Overall, a good time. I wan't very excited to get back to my own bed. Weird. Next up:

This weekend is the Warrior Dash on Saturday and the Outdoor Diva's Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. I am horribly beat-up and out of shape. This is going to be terrible.

Lake Powell in September. Woo hoo!!!!!!!! Now I just need to start planning my menu and dishes (aka, anxiety attack).

Vistiting my best friend Christy in Houston in October. Dates have yet to be set, but I'm going, damnit. And I can't wait.

First, though, I need to get through this weekend without drowning.

The ATL

2010-08-11T10:05:00.001-06:00

I'm heading to Atlanta on Friday morning to attend the annual American Sociological Association conference. I'm so excited to get out of town. I've been telling people that although I've been busy every weekend this summer, I don't really feel like I've gone anywhere. Besides, I've never been to Atlanta so it will be a fun city to explore.

I still need to tackle how I'm going to pack for this thing. Something tells me that my wool, two-piece suits might be a little warm.

My Black Suit

Another good note is that I scored a really nice Briggs & Riley suitcase for free. Holla! I've been borrowing my parents' suitcase for years now, and I was starting to think that it's time to grow up and buy my own. I just didn't want to spend the money. Well, my boss bought a new suitcase and gave me her "extra" one. I'm always glad to take her hand-me-downs of expensive, barely-used items. One of my favorites so far is a gorgeous cashmere Italian sweater. Score and score.

I've only gone to meetings for political scientists, so I'm interested to see what the sociology crowd is like. I think they may be a little more outgoing and friendly given their work, but with academics you can never be too sure.

I'm leaving town. Hurrah! Now I just need to figure out what to pack. Damn.

I'm Not Sorry

2010-08-05T11:35:00.002-06:00

By Pete Scully

I've realized that I say "I'm sorry" too often. Even when an apology isn't necessary. It just comes out.

In fact, this is a problem for many women. Ms. Career Girl, a blog I follow, calls it "The Pleasing Disease." Many women, myself included, are too quick to say yes even when we can't take on any more projects. We're too quick to say sorry about anything and everything. Heaven forbid that we hurt someone's feelings.

All of it is unnecessary. Both personally and professionally.

In fact, a good friend said to me recently, "You back down too quickly. I like it when you're sassy." And he's right. There's nothing wrong with speaking our minds and with saying no. In fact, it should happen more often!

So my goal for this next week is not to say sorry. Not once. Not even on the soccer field.

I Work for A Scholarly Publisher

2010-08-04T17:09:00.007-06:00

My chosen profession means that I read quick, easy, and fun novels in my spare time. Thought-provoking? Educational? Pfffffft.

The book that I loved and am now telling everyone to read is Got Fight? by Forrest Griffin. This is an often crude and therefore hilarious account of fighting---and of life in general. Because of this book, I've also been obsessed with watching reruns of The Ultimate Fighter. I'm insane---it makes life more fun.

Seriously, read the book. And then recommend it to everyone you know. (This was a NYTimes best seller, so I'm not as crazy as you think.)

The other book I've read within the last two weeks is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is like the Twilight series for housewifes. Seriously. Poor writing but entertaining as hell. A teenage girl wishing for escape through fictionalized love = Twilight. A middle-aged housewife wishing for escape through fictionalized travel and therefore finding love = Eat, Pray, Love. Both frustrating books and yet you can't put them down. Though I have to admit, I'll probably see the movie. I like Julia Roberts. (Side note: In googling the movie, I realized the website address is http://www.letyourselfgo.com/. I think I may throw up now.)

On my plate now is a book that my friend sent from Texas: Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch. I love my friend and we have so very much in common... and yet I suffer through every book she sends me. Seriously, what is this girl thinking when she reads these things? Our difference in reading materials is amusing, actually. Everyone has their preferred books, their preferred movies, their favorite songs. But because your opinion doesn't match mine, it means that I'm smarter than you are, obviously. You remember that.

Reading is fun.

Nom, Nom, Nom

2010-07-26T14:07:00.002-06:00

I've been cooking more lately---yay! Actually, I'm trying to save money and in doing so I'm working through all the leftovers in my freezer. This means a lot of frozen meat. I mean, a lot of meat. I don't eat nearly as much meat as I used to, so this is kind of hard for me. In fact, I'm typically a "weekday vegetarian" in which I don't eat meat during the week and at work. On weekends though, it's fair game!

So in working through my freezer this past week, I have conquered two lovely new creations:

First: Spicy Italian Meatballs

Meatballs!

These are my lovely little spicy Italian meatballs. Perfect for that leftover hamburger meat in the freezer and it makes a boring, old pasta disk soooooo much more exciting. I never knew what a dash of red pepper flakes could to to instantly spice things up. I got the recipe from here.

Heating up some spaghetti and meatballs in the amazing All-Clad pan that I got for my b-day.

I know you're supposed to use regular spaghetti noodles with meatballs, but I had penne on hand. So deal with it. And one day I'm going to have a giant kitchen filled entirely with All-Clad utensils. (I'll keep dreaming in the meantime.)

Second (and definitely a keeper): Homemade Pizza with Carmelized Onions and Grilled Chicken

Get in my belly!

Pioneer Woman kept broadcasting a version of this recipe, so I've been craving it for weeks. Honestly, weeks. I only substituted chicken for the proccuitto (because that's what I had in my freezer) and used a tomato sauce under the toppings. The carmelized onions are to die for. I typically don't like onions but I'm drooling just thinking about it now.

Strangely enough, I think that working meat back into my diet is helping me both perform better in soccer and (gasp!) lose some weight. Usually by mid-week, I'd feel so protien deprived that I'd instinctively reach for the nearest candy bar just to eat something. But then again, this is probably just an excuse. No matter what I eat, I'm going to be reaching for the candy bars.

A note on the fitness side of things. In the past 4 days I have done a sunrise climb up Mount Quandary and have played four soccer games in a local tournament. AND I had a stellar goal in the tournament! It was a set play across the box---I brought it down with my head and 5-holed the goalie. Goosebumps, baby.

Mount Quandary double-rainbow

Justin & I at the summit

And, because I'm obsessed with my Kindle I took a picture of it while reading in the park on Saturday.

Dear Kindle, I heart you.

Random

2010-07-20T19:18:00.001-06:00

Since I've been gone for so long, I'd like to share some of my random thoughts via cell phone pictures taken over the last couple weeks. Yup, that's right: I still don't have a camera. And I like it. Don't hate.

I've been riding my little commuter bike as much as possible. My goal for this week is to not drive my car unless I'm leaving town. It's easier said than done.

It's after 7pm on a Tuesday night. I'm at work. This is what my desk looks like. I hope I don't run into the Creepy Janitor.

I can actually look cute some days! Here's my rockin' new halter and cute scarf. The only good thing about having linebacker shoulders is that I can rock the halter tops.

I love, love, love my Korean shirt from Adam. He has a shirt from Boulder in return. Check out the awesome project, TXP.

Besides the office, I spend a ridiculous amount of time here: Boulder Indoor Soccer.

My office is boycotting Amazon. They're bullies. But I have a huge and slightly worrisome crush on my new Kindle. It's that amazing.

I have been cooking. Not as much as I should, but still. Cookies!

Lastly, I'm debating about going here: Australia. We'll see.

Random Thoughts + Stuck at Work + Cell Phone Pictures + Hot Chocolate = Love

I’m a Grumpy Mo-Fo Today

2010-07-19T11:50:00.004-06:00

I have to admit that I hate blog/Facebook/Twitter venting. But today I’m a grumpy mo-fo.

It’s been forever since I posted and I’m sorry! (Not that I have any readers, but the whole point of a blog is to keep up with it.)

So, a brief highlight of my last few months---which, despite my grumpiness today, have been pretty stellar.

May:

Soccer, soccer, and more soccer.

We sent off one of my good friends, Abe, to his medical residency in New York. I already miss you, dude!

Abe and I

I did a kettlebell session with my friend, Scott. I was sore for days. As in, more sore than I remember being for a long, long time. It was amazing.

Ran the BolderBoulder with my newly-engaged friend, Amber. We were slow, but we finally caught up with every minute detail of our lives. Girl talk while running is the best. thing. ever.

June:

Soccer, soccer, and more soccer.

My birthday month! It all seemed to fly by.

My best friend Christy and her husband Josh stopped into town on their way to moving to Texas. They bought a ginormous house for the cost of a one-bedroom condo here in Boulder. I can't wait to go visit!

World Cup! Despite the fact that I'm a player myself, I know nothing about international soccer. I choose teams by how cute their players are. True story. It's like choosing wine by its label or judging a book by its cover. All infallible methods.

Went to a “Cooking While Camping” course/session/whatever. This man made the most amazing Thai Green Curry off a freakin’ camp stove. I can’t even do that in my kitchen at home.

Signed up and started training for my first triathlon ever. Biking and running? No problem. Swimming? I’m going to drown. By the way, this shiz is still expensive.

Won the co-ed Crested Butte soccer tournament. Had a great time with good friends!

Champions!

July:

Soccer, soccer, and more soccer.

Went hiking with my amazing friend from Australia, whom I affectionately call Baby. It’s been two years since he’s left us. I miss him.

First camping trip and first 14-er of the year---my ninth ascent total. A great weekend with friends, the outdoors, and lots of good food.

View from the top of Mount Bierstadt (14,060 feet)

Emily and I at Guanella Pass

This past weekend consisted of Guns and Garters and fishing with my amazing family. I’ve never shot skeet with shotguns before and it was surprisingly a lot of fun! My shoulder is a little bruised from the kickback but it also makes me feel like a badass. And a day spent on the boat is always good for the soul.

So that’s the quick and dirty of my life right now. All-in-all it has been amazing. So my grumpiness is totally out of line. Maybe I just needed to spew this all out so that I’d realize how lucky I am.

Maybe we all just need a day to pout and then get over ourselves.

Probably both.

Harrumph. Grump. Poop. Frown.

Update 2.0

2010-05-14T10:39:00.001-06:00

An update on my last two crazy weeks:

Lake Powell

Below are the few pictures I managed to snap with my camera phone. Remember how I need a digital camera? Yeah, still haven't bought one. I guess it isn't that high on my list. One thing about taking pictures is that you're always behind the camera instead of in front of it---good news.

My poppa catching a fish

Pretty largemouth bass

Bill hanging out

Randy silently fishing in back. If the fish didn't splash, you'd never know he caught anything. The rest of us yell, scream, and proclaim our greatness to the world whenever we reel something in.

This is now one of my favorite pictures. The two fishing pros---my dad and Bill---showing off their loot.

But it wasn't all fun and games. There was a lot of work to be done on the boat. Here are the guys working in the engine compartments. Why is everyone in the engine, you ask? Well, because of this....

We're sinking.

Here's the story: I went for a gorgeous run and came back with a bag of ice for our margaritas (priorities). Sheri then pronounced that we're sinking. I thought she was kidding. Not so much. I went to the back of the boat, snapped this picture of the engines, batteries, and generator submerged in water, and then I started bailing. Yes, bailing. With buckets. Meanwhile we were also hooking up electric water pumps. The picture above was taken after we had already set up a couple pumps---there was even more water before I got there.

Once we got all the water out the guys were able to determine the problem. When OffShore maintenance was replacing a seal, they didn't replace the rubber on seal or put the cap on correctly. On top of this, the bilge pump hose was off so it kept pumping water back into the engine compartments. Insanity. But the crises was averted and we've all lived to sail another day. Hurrah.

So after the long weekend, I am now back in the office. On a good note, I haven't had to play any soccer games this week. Yay! As for my round belly, boooooo.

Cooking

I haven't had the chance to cook in a while, so last night I tried a new recipe. For some reason, I thought zucchini pancakes sounded good. I wasn't thinking straight at the time. The progression:

Food processor! I was able to score this from my mom.

Zucchini! The food processor rocks. I can't imagine grating all this by hand.

So, you're supposed to form the zucchini and spices into little patties, cover them with bread crumbs, and fry them up in olive oil. Sounds easy enough, right? The start of it seemed to go well.

And then this happened. Either my pan is misshapen or the stove is not level---probably both---because all the oil pooled to one side of the pan. So instead of frying the patties and cooking them throughout, the breading just stuck to the pan and burnt. Awesome.

The final result was edible but I also learned that I don't like zucchini that much. Too bad my roomie, Kyle, wasn't home. He usually gets a kick out of my cooking adventures. He laughs, cries, and then takes over because he can't watch anymore.

Finally, I had to post this picture because it cracks me up. (See the pun? Get it? I'm so witty.) It's an ad for a fitness company. Happy Friday!

Road Trip

2010-05-05T10:25:00.000-06:00

I'm leaving town again. Hurrah!

My soul is permanently in Lake Powell. My body is going to meet up with it for a long weekend.

I can't wait. I'm literally giddy at work while trying to get something---anything---done. Besides, my white arse needs to see some sun!

Work on the houseboat some, get in a couple of *cold* ski runs, and fish even more. I love it.

Taking a fish off the line in Powell

Weighing in on Chicago

2010-04-25T10:54:00.002-06:00

I'm literally weighing in here. In 5 days I have managed to gain 5 pounds. And my god, it was worth it.

I was lucky enough to travel with my fabulous friend and coworker, Karen, who is a complete foodie. Before we even got there, she had a list of places to visit.

I didn't get pictures of everything with my crappy camera phone, but here are some of the highlights.

Hello, Chicago!

Water. Yacht. Yes, please.

The Bean!

Playing around under the bean.

Navy Pier.

It's playoff time!

Cupcakes! I'm not a huge cupcake fan, but these were that good.

Car bombs for Karen's birthday!

Karen, post-bomb.

Some of the other restaurants and places:

Exchequer

Garrett Popcorn

Trader Joe's (this place needs to come to Colorado. Pretty please?)

Russian Tea Time (instead of tea, we had their standard 3 shots of vodka.)

Cafe Iberico (oh my god, this is the best tapas place in the world.)

Oh, yeah. We also worked. We worked a lot. As in my cheeks are sore from talking and smiling for three days straight and my feet don't want to see my heels again. Ever.

The booth.

A red beacon of light, inviting people to come buy books---and to

write more books for us to publish.

I loved Chicago. I want to go back. Now.

If only....

I'm going to Chicago

2010-04-20T09:04:00.001-06:00

And you're not.

Neener neener neener.

Chicago is one of my favorite cities. If I could move anywhere tomorrow, Chicago would be it. (In the city, not the suburbs).

Too bad I've applied for multiple jobs out there with no luck.

Oh well. Boulder ain't too bad.

Chicago's Palmer House Hilton, looking hawt in business suits, and pizza and beer all on the company dime? Yes, please!

Oh yeah, and I'll work a little bit too.

Dear Societal Norms: FU! Love, Me

2010-04-16T12:59:00.000-06:00

May I please vent for a minute?

The older I get, the more I realize that some "societal norms" are stupid.

I've also realized that we all say these things and yet we still mold ourselves into expected behaviors and actions. We're all hypoctrites. I'm one too. I get it.

Despite this, I want to point out three lame expections:

1. Debt. Keeping up with the Joneses. All that good stuff. Want to know how to piss me off? Tell me to buy a new car. Nothing gets my blood boiling than the thought of it. My car runs great. It takes some maintenance, yes, but why get rid of it "just cause"? I love my car. I love not having car payments. I love not being in debt. So, FU.
2. I'm in my mid-20s and I don't own a house. Thank god. I have no idea where I'm going to be in 6 months, much less in 5 years. The best article on why renting is better than buying is here: http://patrick.net/housing/crash3.html. 'Nuff said.
3. Marriage is overrated. My new favorite quote: "Marriage asks you to sacrifice yourself for the common good." I'm not saying that I disagree with marriage and families, I just think that people can rush into it and a couple years later ask themselves---while undergoing a divorce---"WTF was I thinking?" Ladies, let me be clear: Being married does not complete you as a person. It's all about the dress anyway.

These three things can connect to make your life either amazing or awful.

Confession: I only watch one show, The Biggest Loser. What fascinates me is that all these contestants are out of control not only with their weight, but with their lives in general. From a recent show and MSNBC article:

Last time, [Suze] Orman predicted a winner based on credit scores, and her pick, Danny Cahill, turned out to be a record-setting champion.... Then — speak of the Loser — Danny showed up, looking as good as the day he won, to talk to the current players about overcoming his 526-pound weight and $45,000 debt (and he had the best credit score last year!).

The best credit score was 45k in debt? Are you kidding me?

So, my rant is this: Our focus needs to be on self-control and not on societal expectations. Personal goals, health, family, happiness. Is it really that hard? Yes, it's hard. It's f-ing hard. But it's worth it. Society demands the American Dream---consumerism and debt; leading to divorce and obesity. I won't buy into it.

I’m Getting an Edumacation

2010-04-09T12:12:00.001-06:00

No, not the kind with books and chalk and teachers. (Who uses chalk anymore?) Been there, done that. I think my degree is buried somewhere at home. Instead, I’m getting edumacated about life.

With my time off from soccer, I’ve been able to hunt down some awesome informational sessions and courses in Boulder—all of which are free. Hurrah! Where have I found these goodies? Full Cycle and REI. They are both the bomb-diggity.

(Confession: Now that I can play soccer again, I don't want to go back. I've been having too much fun off the field...)

Some of the things I have learned:

1. Triathlons. Wow. Where to begin? The most important thing I got from this session is that triathlons are expensive. You could show up with just your Wal-Mart Huffy mountain bike (but that would be frowned upon by the elites); or you could start racing with a "simple," beginner road bike (with a starting price tag of $1,000). It just goes up from there—specialized wheels, tri bars, carbon fiber... you name it. Then there’s the rest of the gear. A decent tri suit is at least $100, and then you need a wet suit for open-water swims at another couple hundo. And then there’s the entrance fee and required insurance for the actual race. See the progression here? It’s expensive. It makes sense why you never see young people in triathlons—they can’t afford it! However, for a 40-something that’s established and has some extra money to burn, triathlons and most importantly the cool gadgets are definitely a plus.

I think I’ll stick to my $200 commuter bike and cheap and cheery running races for the time being.

I'd be the person drowning

2. Bike Maintenance. I’m not gonna lie, I’m spoiled by my mechanic father and two older brothers. They’re so efficient in fixing things that I happily whine and complain until everything is taken care of. This, of course, means that I know nothing about maintenence myself. Even my little $200 bike leaves me baffled. It seriously took me 15-minutes to figure out how to put air in my tires the other day. Sad, but true. So, off to bike maintenance class! The course was also very informative. The most important thing I learned: A clean bike is a happy bike! So, my bike and I are going to have a pool party this weekend. Chain grease (dry, not wet!) and spare tire tubes will be involved. Care to join? Speedos and Bikinis required. Banana Hammocks preferred.

See the pump? I now know how to use that. Everything else is gibberish.

3. Nutrition. I went to a women’s nutritional course hosted by Megan Forbes and Full Cycle. It was fascinating! To sum it all up—eat lots of fruits, veggies, and foods without additives and preservatives. I pretty much know all of this, but it was really helpful just to see it specifically discussed and analyzed. I also found out that my daily multivitamin, of all things, was making me sick and nauseus. Yay for scientific coding. Oh yeah, we also feasted on catered duck confit sandwiches. Yum.

Mixed drinks contain juice so they're healthy, right? Right?

I’m also getting educated in the fact that I’m not young and invincible anymore. I am still sore. I may cry. I played indoor for the first time in months on Tuesday, I lifted legs, back, and biceps on Wednesday morning, and I’ve been close to tears ever since. It’s bad enough that I couldn’t sleep so I gave up and went to the gym at 4 am just to soak in the hot tub and sauna. Brutal.

Finally, I have to share my recent cooking conquests. As always, I get far too excited any time a new recipe is successful. My new favorite is the gem I cooked last night:

Helloooo, lover!

Homemade wheat pasta with cooked asparagus, roma tomatoes, and proscuitto

The homemade pasta was very time consuming. Not too hard, per say, but the time involved is questionable when you can easily buy a huge package at the grocery store for a couple bucks. I'm still glad I figured out how to make it!

I can barely draw in a straight line, much less cut noodles! Seriously, it's like squiggle play pasta in there.

Straight lines? P-shaw!

Other fun times in the kitchen:

Tomato soup with white wine

Skillet cornbread with hot chilis and cheddar cheese

Soup and cornbread---yum!

Exhausted and bored from reading yet? I am. And I'm sore.

Soreness is next to Godliness

2010-03-30T13:21:00.003-06:00

My knee is mostly healed. I can work out! I feel like a complete person again! And...

I'm sore.

I'm really, really sore.

As in, my typical 5-mile runs are now a 2-mile waddle and I can barely walk up a flight of stairs the next day.

But the soreness is refreshing. It means I can move again; and more importantly, it means that I'm getting stronger. Honestly, I'm a weakling. (I think I could bench more as a 110-lb sophmore in high school than I can bench now.)

With my injury, I've had to develop new workouts and methods. It makes going back to the gym fun and exciting. Routines can get old and stale quickly. The treadmill is boring as hell. BoooOOOOoooring. My new fun treats: weightlifting and yoga.

Let me be clear: I Will Not Look Like A Body Builder From Weightlifting! It doesn't work that way. Need me to say it again? I Will Not Look Like A Body Builder From Weightlifting! To further my point, I'll let the guys do the talking:

From my favorite egomaniac, Dave:
Hey, Chicks, You're Doing it Wrong
These Chicks are Doing it Right

Also, this is the general lifting program I'm following.

Here's my typical routine:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday
6:00 am, ride my bike to the gym--Weightlifing and Running/Elliptical
Each day is a different split: Chest/Triceps; Legs/Shoulders; Back/Biceps
I'm gonna be honest: lifting weights among the guys is hot. H-a-w-t. I could be wearing old, oversized soccer clothes or some great Under Armour capris that show off my booty and the stares are the same. It's unanimous from the male species: girls lifting weights is hot. And my close-up view of the men ain't too bad either.

Want to know what else is fun? Biking. Except the stares aren't the same. Bomb downhill to the gym on your bike at 5:30 am with no cars to be seen. Then, after a brutal leg workout, try to ride home--uphill--with a million vehicles making their 7:30 am commute. Meanwhile, all the drivers are staring at your slow, wobbly ass. I swear that people walking their miniature poodles are faster than I am on that bike. I passed by a road speed sign once--I was going 8 mph. That's right, 8. Booyah!

Moving on...

Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 am--Yoga video at home
Here's another misconception: Yoga is not for pansies. I can repeat that again, but I'll spare y'all. Done right, yoga kicks your ass. I suffer through the beginner's video. The burning, shaking, I-refuse-to-let-that-cougar-in-the-video-beat-me kind of suffering. That's right, lady-with-the-fringed-bangs. You're going down!

With all the cooking I've been doing lately, I need the gym. This way I can have my cake and eat it, too.

I'm a Cooking Machine

2010-03-29T13:14:00.005-06:00

Since I don't cook, and therefore I can't cook, I get very excited every time a new recipe is successful. I compulsively take pictures and tell everyone who doesn't care. Including you. Aren't you lucky?

Some of my conquests from this past week (note: everything is made from scratch):

Chicken Pot Pie

A Slice of Deliciouness

Lemon Crumble Squares

(I realized I'm more of a chocolate person, but these were still yummy)

Buttermilk Buscuits

Homemade Crutons

(Delicious! They put store-bought crutons to shame, both in taste and cost.)

This is what happens when you cook with flour and there's a little dog under your feet.

Caught up?

2010-03-21T21:08:00.004-06:00

Get this amazing and magical thing: I am almost all caught up with work! This hasn't happened in, well, years.

I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. This entire weekend I did not go in the office once nor did I feel any need to. Again, insane!

This is my little work notebook. I survive by this and take it everywhere with me---almost comically so.

So, my new goals:

1. Do not get behind again!
2. Do not get behind again!
3. Find out what in the h-e-double-l I'm going to do with myself with all this free time.

First of all, now that I'm healing I honestly believe that hurting my knee has allowed me to get caught up---with life, really. As much as I hated being sedentary, when I go to the gym now I actually feel stronger. My muscles have finally gotten the rest they've been begging for. I can concentrate better at work. Before, when I played two soccer games on Tuesday nights it meant that I was absolutely useless on Wednesdays at the office. I couldn't think. I was exhausted all the time.

So now is the hardest part: BALANCE. I honestly believe that this doesn't actually exist, but I'm going to try. Balance with work, an active life, and myself.

This leads to the question: Do I dive back into all my soccer teams again? Do I get into new hobbies? I miss soccer. I miss the people even more. The problem, though, is that I don't have a mental stop light. I can't say "No." One team leads to three more invitations and I soon find myself in over my head. So this is what I am hoping to do: Continue with only a team or two, but also pursue other things. I don't like being bored, I hate watching tv all night even more, so we'll see how long this lasts.

In my newfound freedom, guess what I did this weekend? First of all I helped my friend Emily who just broke her foot. Poor girl!! I helped her by taking her out for food and eating all the junk food we could get our hands on. I mean really, what else are friends for?

I also cooked! As with all my cooking, it was an adventure. I made the Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast and Apple Pie from her new cookbook.

The roast turned out A-MAZ-ING. And it was surprisingly easy. Pictures!

Just out of the oven.

Pot roast with roasted veggies and brown rice. Yum!

The apple pie was a different story. First of all, it all seemed to come together just fine but I didn't think to put it on aluminum foil because, well, the directions didn't tell me too. I'm very literal with recipes. I don't veer off course unless I miss a step or just do it wrong (which is common). So, the filling inside the pie proceeded to drip out of the crust and collect on the pan. Okay, whatever, but when I pulled the pie out and cooled everything off, the drippings literally carmelized/candied on the pan! It was impossible to get off!

Trying to soak my carmel-coated pan.

Chefs and foodies, cover your eyes: I had to take a metal knife and scrape the filling off my non-stick pan. Yes, very painful but there was no way around it! A brillo pad was worthless. So, lesson learned: Aluminum foil is my friend.

Continuing the debacle, when I tried to get the pie off the pan it turned more into an apple crumble. Hmm... maybe because all the filling to hold it together had dripped out? I can't be too sure. Luckily it was all still very yummy (whew!). Perfect with vanilla ice cream.

Apple pie/crumble.

The good news: Everything I do is a learning process. The bad news: I know nothing.

Luckily, two men are ooh-ing, ahh-ing, and groaning as they are eating my pot roast right this very second. Three votes for the roast. Hurrah!

Exciting... Not Really

2010-03-08T11:32:00.006-07:00

I haven’t posted anything lately because, honestly, I don’t have any new and exciting news. And you know what? I love it.

I feel like I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for years. Sometimes I love the packed schedule, the friends, and the excitement. Sometimes I hate it.

Though I guess this "mini-break" is forced. I sprained my knee (MCL) a couple weeks ago and so I have to lay low for a while. The doc said 6- to 8-weeks. I have to admit that it’s hard to take a break when my life is so active. I can’t play soccer, run, or ski, and even going to the gym is hard at this point. Stick me on a recumbent bike with little to no resistance and tell me that I can’t run or lift (or break a sweat, really) = very unhappy Claire. So, I haven’t been working out speak of because it’s just torture.

On a good note, my awesome and stylish friend, Emily, and I went shopping to update my wardrobe! Never having seriously shopped at Nordstrom’s before, I have to say that I’m now in love. With some digging around, we were able to find some classy and affordable outfits that are work-appropriate and that I feel comfortable wearing. As a habit of buying larger sizes from when I had put on my Freshman 15 in college, most of my clothes were far too big for me. It's nice to wear clothes that actually fit! (I'm a size 4---wha??)

But trust me, most everything new is still made of cotton. If I’m allowed to wear jeans at work then I’m going to take full advantage of that, damnit! This has also forced me to branch out and get items that have color. Yes, color. Can you believe it? But don’t fret, I still have enough black and grey in my wardrobe to last a while.

Below is the casual, classic style that I am trying to embody. Well-tailored jeans, a nice, structured top or jacket, and generally a put-together look that's still comfortable and classy. Easy, right?

As the saying goes, dress for the position you want, not the position you currently hold.

I am the first to admit that I’m genetically challenged in the style department but I'm working on it. Shopping takes a hell of a lot of time (ugh!) but with my friends’ help I think I can make it happen.

To further my education, I’m actually going to a Runway Show this week in Boulder. Can you believe it? I’d much rather be at a car show, but like I said I’m branching out. I’m getting edumacated. On the downside, I’ll be surrounded by fussy, high-maintenance women all evening and I hate women. Patience, Claire. Patience.

Motivation

2010-02-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Generally, I'm a very motivated person. Probably too much so.

I'm often in over my head with 60-hour work weeks, late nights at the office, and countless soccer teams.

Except for right now. Right this very second (well, this week really), this is how motivated I am:

Can a gnome please come into my life and do all of my work and make all of my decisions? I'll be accepting resumes starting... now.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Pay comes in the form gratitude and reduced grumpiness (both worth their weight in gold).

Boys

2010-02-11T09:36:00.002-07:00

I live with two boys.

Honestly, they crack me up on a daily basis.

Last night, they "hosted" a soccer-viewing party. And as in hosted, I mean that they provided the TV. Everyone else brought food and drinks.

So when I walked in the door at 9 pm, this is what I saw:

and this...

My kitchen had been attacked.

And everything in the house smelled like boy.

The best part of this? It all amuses me to no end. I love it. (Unless, of course, I come home tonight and it still looks like this. Then I won't be so happy.)

All you can do is shake your head and laugh.

Boys will be boys.

I Could Be Skiing

2010-02-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday afternoon. I could be skiing. In the mountains. Where there's snow, and trees, and friends. Instead, I'm here...

I'm at the office.

But I have a game plan: I'm going to get caught up (buahahaha! that's funny) and then I will conquer my job, conquer my company, and, finally, conquer the publishing empire.

Watch out, world.

New, Smarter, Faster, Stronger?

2010-01-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

New computers are supposed to make life easier, right? Right?

Wrong.

My office, and my life, has exploded into chaos and nighmare.

Yes, I have three desks and yes, they are all packed with manuscripts and computer software. Not to mention that the tangled mass of chords under my desk---which were so neatly organized before---is seriously messing with my OCD.

The tech guys were on my boss's computer until after 7 last night and are coming back again today. My boss asks eighteen questions every time she clicks her mouse. Poor guys.

Easy as pie.

I’m a Running Celebrity

2010-01-22T13:38:00.004-07:00

Not really, but it’s fun to think so.

I ran a 5-mile race last weekend with my friend. I thought I was crawling along at a 12-minute/mile pace (seriously, little kids and people pushing 300-pound strollers were passing me), but it turns out that I had a pretty strong time of 42:23 or 8:29 per mile. Pizza and beer at 2 am the night before probably didn't help. My friend, of course, won his age division with a time of 32:32. The punk.

There’s still one race left in this three race series and then on to a half marathon. Check it: http://www.winterdistanceseries.com/.

Some photos from my most recent race. Beware: I’m not a “pretty” or “glamorous” runner. And sorry about the watermarks---I'm poor.

Notice the awesome sunglasses? That’s because I still have a black eye. It’s stellar.

And since we’re on the topic of running pictures, I’m going old-school on you. Here’s a picture from an 8-mile trail race I did back in 2008.

Damain and his crazy German antics crack me up to this day. Then there’s Amber right on our heels shouting that we’re out of shape and slow.

This is why running is so awesome—it's a good workout surrounded by great people. What else can a girl ask for?

Be Careful What You Wish For

2010-01-13T16:52:00.007-07:00

I’m going to be honest: I have always wanted a black eye. Seriously. It’s been a life goal of mine… until I got one.

Kyle (my roomie) had a black eye last Tuesday. I came home, saw it, and instantly exclaimed my jealousy. He offered to punch me in the face for one but I declined. (In retrospect, I should've taken him up on the offer.) Then that Friday at my soccer game I took a header to the perfect spot in the face and the fun started.

The progression:

See, usually I'm kinda cute and, well, normal looking.

Then I got hit at indoor soccer. I had plans to go out that night for my friend's birthday so despite the eye I had to go.

Hamming it up for the camera. My eye is so swollen I can barely see.

Love these girls! Happy b-day, Em.

Just your average one-eyed pool shark.

By Monday, the bruising had fully colored into this.

And by Wednesday (today) it is now various colors of the rainbow---and can be spotted from a half mile away.

Not only that, but the blood has drained into my eye so I now look demonic. (And my apologies for looking so awful. My boss is out of town which means I'm lucky if I change out of my sweats in the morning.)

Despite all the stares, the most fun is seeing everyone's reactions. It's a sociological study. Some of my favorite responses:

I was walking outside the building to go for a run when a man saw me and literally crossed himself. Apparently I'm the devil.
A coworker walked up and asked, very seriously, "Claire, is everything okay at home?"
Another coworker suggested this book to me: Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them. Thanks, but I won't be needing that on my shelf.
Our receptionist thought that if the bruising didn't go below my eye, it'd be a helluva makeup job.
Our UPS man, however, instantly figured out that it was soccer and starting diving into war stories of his own.

The best part of this? Hearing everyone else's war stories. The worst part? Constant pity looks. I can't go to the grocery store or the gym without "the look." So I guess I have to run outside, with sunglasses on, and eat pasta for the next week. Fun times.

It's a little vision into our culture:

Guys' injuries=badass

Girls' injuries=domestic violence

Be careful what you wish for.

It's The Little Things

2010-01-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

I got a package today...

Guess what was inside?

New running shoes!

They're so shiny and pretty.

I'm gonna have to plow through some muddy puddles; and soon.

It's the little things.

A Day in the Life

2010-01-01T22:11:00.008-07:00

When I tell people that I work in academic publishing, they mostly give a blank stare and respond with, "Oh, that's nice." Conversation over. Mostly because they have no idea what my job entails or what I do. So, I'm going to put you in my shoes at the office.

Today: M-lists and Transmittals.

First of all, my apologies for the horrible quality of the photos. Again, all pictures were taken with my camera phone. Remember that cute little camera I've been coveting? Yeah... still working on that. (New running shoes have been a priority.)

To begin: The Master List, or m-list. The m-list is a printed report of all our current projects. I update this database every two weeks (give or take). It is considered our company bible because every department refers to it multiple times a day. It includes the author's name(s), full title, MCD (manuscript completion date), print run, final available date (when the book is printed), price, ISBN, Library of Congress number, series information, and any additional information. Whew! And yes, this is all important for various reasons.

Transferring the changes from multiple sources on to a single list.

You know the movie and book, The Devil Wears Prada? Yeah, that's my life. Seriously. My boss judges my outfits every day. Her mood is directly dependent on whether or not she has enough water and if the humidifier is on. If I'm on the phone with an author she'll run out of the office waving her hands and passing notes of what I should say. And then there's the little things like how she prefers only large paper clips---the little ones annoy her. The good side of things? She doesn't talk down to me... unless I royally f-up, of course, but then it's deserved. And I honestly like the challenge of it. Demanding, yes, but I hope that it makes me a stronger person. Luckily I have very thick skin.

A more fashionable version of my life.

You know in the movie where Andy perfectly fans out her boss's magazines? I do the same thing with my boss's m-lists. In the stack: LRP m-list, availability list, editor reports.

Next Up: Transmitting a manuscript. When we get a final manuscript in the office we must "transmit" it over to the production department so that they can turn it into a pretty book. This includes going through every page of the manuscript to find any possible problems and edit mistakes.

The manuscript comes in. Incredibly anxious authors often spend an arm and a leg to overnight the package and then immediately e-mail me asking if it has arrived.

Going through the manuscript---all 600 pages of it. I have a system going on here.

I make a copy of the table of contents (ToC) and write all the problems and errors with the manuscript and include a "cast-off."

This manuscript was pretty clean. With new manuscripts and authors, my notes can often run onto another page. It is a second edition of one of our popular textbooks, so the author has got it down by now. A "cast-off" is what we use to determine the number of completed book pages from the manuscript pages. The formula is as follows:

# of manuscript pages x (# of characters x # of lines) / 3000 = # of book pages

If the author doesn't do their part, transmittals can be one of the most frustrating parts of the job. I've often gotten manuscripts where the pages aren't numbered so I have to hand number everything; the chapters are out of order or missing; the manuscript is ridden with typos---spell check, anyone?; they staple the pages with industrial-strength staples that take a crowbar to remove; their contents don't remotely match what's in the manuscript; etc, etc.

So there ya have it. There are just two pieces of my job. As I often tell people, publishing is not like accounting---you can't just take a class and now what to do. It is very much a "guild" business is which you learn by doing it. And, most of all, we aren't just in our reading glasses pouring through books all day. Like any successful business, it is mostly administrative work. I'll keep updating with other aspects of what I do---unless y'all are bored to death and scream at me to stop.

And, just to prove I do other things than work... sometimes... I successfully made a vegetarian rustic pie, including the pie crust, from scratch! Hurrah!

Yummy.

My Soul

2009-12-25T23:52:00.007-07:00

Merry Christmas!

Being "home" in the mountains heals my soul. I'm surrounded by family, friends, and adorable animals. I feel like I can breathe here.

My best friends know that when I'm in the mountains I have basically fallen off the face of this earth. I cannot and will not be reached by phone nor will I acknowledge the outside existence of anyone or anything. It's amazing.

And, as I've gotten in the habit of doing, I'm sitting up in my parent's kitchen blogging while an old movie is playing in the backround. (Though I am cold. I've become a pansy city girl---it's always freezing up here!)

I need to get a cute little camera so that I can snap pictures and document some of the random and fun events that go on in my life. For now, all I've got is a camera phone (which explains the horrible quality of the photos below). To go over some of the highlights from my weekend thus far:

- Drinks and breakfast with my good friend, Nick. Nick is a Navy Seal who is both a badass and lovingly sleeps with stuffed animals. I adore this man and his friendship. He is currently working on this: NSWDG.

- Happy hour dinner at Centro (I can never make happy hours because I'm always working) followed by pick-up soccer with Kyle. I didn't play, but instead had a couple drinks with D-Cubed in the closed bar.

- A group of us then went out to drinks, darts, and karaoke at one of the most ghetto bars in Boulder, The Outback. I must say that I am incredible at darts. My team won some amazing feats, beating our opponents 4 games to 3. (And by winning, I mean that my partner won. I was lucky if I hit the board.) The highlight? Karaoke at 1 am on Chistmas Eve. Classy.

The guys singing "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys

I'm too old for these 5 am nights...

Then I headed up to the mountains for my soul and salvation: Family. The highlights:

- A puzzle from hell.

It's supposed to be a bird. I agonized over the corner piece

until my eyes went numb and we still haven't finished it.

- Games: Uno, Phase 10, and Scattergories. I won Scattergories in double-overtime against Alissa. "Marilyn Monroe" (double "M's") was the golden ticket.

- Dinner: prime rib, wine, chocolate chip cookies. There were other dishes, of course, but who cares about those?

- Watching some of the best movies ever: Holiday Inn, Moonstruck, The Man From Snowy River, The Angel and the Badman. And when I say watching, I mean that the movies were just playing while we were doing other things. The fact that we can quote every line from each film, on cue, helps.

"Ma, I'm getting married."

"Do you love him?"

"No."

"Good. If you love them, they drive you crazy."

...

"I'm Linda Mason."

"Oh, Linda Mason."

- Animals. I love the puppies (who aren't really puppies anymore) and miss them, even with all their craziness.

Toby on his throne

Savannah (ignore my alien finger, she didn't want to "stay")

- The fact that I haven't worked out in a week. I have to say that it is amazing... and a little uncomfortable. Cookies and no running shoes are an interesting mix. But the time off is rather nice.

So now it's to the rest of the weekend. Tomorrow: Brewery Bar II! Sunday: Brunch with Christy!

I'm smiling again.

Merry Christmas! I hope that you are all enjoying a relaxing holiday surrounded by love and happiness.

Professional Friendships vs. THAT Guy

2009-12-16T14:31:00.005-07:00

Where’s the line?

Specifically, where’s the line when it comes to your personal and professional relationships with other people? Can you make personal friends in a professional setting or should you keep the two firmly separate?

I have a good friend at my office. I helped plan her wedding and even threw her bachelorette party. The party was a damn good night!

There should be nothing wrong with friends in the workplace!!

The women at my company constantly exchange new family pictures or briefly talk about our weekends. We’re all friendly and cordial, but there is a professional line. No one is showing up at each other’s doors uninvited.

But then this happened....

Our janitor came to my indoor soccer game last night. Seriously. This man, though he owns his own company and is obviously successful, can best be described as “creepy.” While I was working late and he was cleaning up, he started asking about soccer and the next thing I knew I had told him where the indoor place was. I honestly thought that he was interested in joining a team himself or something of that sort.

Stupid on my part, I know. And naïve.

So now what? Should I be concerned that this 60-year-old creepster (who has also confessed that he wants to ask out my boss… and he’s married!) is a problem or is this just a one-time experience?

I’ve been asking around and these are the responses I’ve received:

1. It’s my fault for speaking with him about any aspect my personal life in the first place. This is obviously an untrustworthy man looking for information.
     - They’re right.

2. I should inform my boss that he came to the game, uninvited, and make sure that this doesn’t happen again.
     - But, I’m no longer playing on Tuesday nights for a while—is it worth getting my boss involved? I feel like this whole situation was preventable if I had paid more attention.

3. Make sure that I don’t work late when he’s supposed to clean (on Tuesday and Saturday nights). And, especially, don’t be here alone.
     - Yes, this all makes sense, but doesn’t it seem a little drastic? He’s not a stalker… yet.

Is all this worry and hooplah necessary? Even on my own part? It’s all creepy and slightly disconcerting, yes, but I made the mistake of giving him even the slightest amount of information. Besides, I don’t feel like his actions are specifically geared towards me. He’s just THAT guy.

Then again, maybe I should tell my boss… he does a crap-ass job of cleaning as it is.

I'm an Auntie, Times Two!

2009-12-14T19:15:00.001-07:00

My brother and sister-in-law delivered a new baby boy on Sunday morning: Andrew Thomas Vlcek.

He’s premature---9 weeks early---but both Momma and baby seem to be doing very well! He weighs 4 lbs 0 oz and is 17 in tall.

From what I heard, he will be in the nursery for the next month and a half (until about his scheduled due date) but the doctors seem confident that he will do well. Fingers crossed for his speedy growth!

Unfortunately, I haven't seen the little guy as everyone needs to rest after the last few stressful days, but I do have pictures.

Andrew's first picture

(bath time!)

Andrew and Mommy

(Amber's smiling after an early delivery

through c-section? Incredible!)

Andrew with his big sister, Ava, and Daddy

(what is Ava staring at? maybe she pondering how to

terrorize her baby brother in the near future)

Not to be left out, here's a picture of my neice, Ava:

Ava in the pumpkin patch

(the pumpkin hat makes this complete)

Now this may speak to our generation, or it may be that my family hates talking to me, but I first found out that Amber was in labor through Facebook. Yes, Facebook. Too funny.

Congratulations, Graham and Amber!

Priorities

2009-12-08T13:41:00.011-07:00

I’m trying to figure some things out. Like, you know, life...

First of all, I’m determined to have more free time. Determined. And yet, if I have too much time on my hands I get bored. Last night I went home early, blissfully read an entire book and then went to bed. And now I feel guilty for being so unproductive.

So today I’m asking myself one question:

How do you prioritize and still not worry about the small things?

Here are the things I want to focus on, in no particular order. The point is, as a matter of fact, to actually get these things in some kind of order:

- Work
Ugh. No comment.

- Soccer
I’m giving up two of my three indoor teams. Decision made. I’m doing it. I’m not playing well and I just need a break. And yes, it will be that hard to walk away, even for a season or two.

- Running
My goal is to run another half marathon this summer and even, ideally, a full marathon. To be honest, a dream of mine is to take a trip to Montana and run in the gorgeous scenery. How cool would that be?
Montana marathons
Colorado marathons
Marathon training (gulp!)

- Reading and Studying
I work in publishing, yes, but I could always improve my grammar and copyediting skills. I’d also like to seriously study for the GRE (even though I can’t afford grad school and the thought of taking on loans scares me to death).

- Yoga, Skiing, Hiking... Anything Outdoors
I can’t sit cross-legged and I’m better at water skiing than I am at snow skiing, but still. I live in the mecca of outdoor sports and I love them!

- Cooking
I’m slowly getting better at cooking as I try new recipes, but it takes time, commitment, and money.

As you can see, I love hobbies. I support hobbies. They keep you sane and stable.

So how do I find the balance again? Where do I prioritize?

Where do I even begin?

*****

Update on “The Goal”:
I’m off target this week and it’s only Tuesday. I’m having trouble concentrating (obviously) so we'll see how things develop.

Less is More

2009-12-04T12:03:00.012-07:00

In working under my company's CEO for the past year, I've learned something very valuable: keeping it short and sweet is oh, so very sweet. We're all busy. We're all just treading to keep our heads above water. So do a favor for everyone and stick with "less is more."

Where does this apply the most? In order:

E-mails. I have to admit that my old boss wrote pages and pages of text in her e-mails. They were exhausting! Most of this could've been covered in a 5-minute phone call, but instead she took 30-plus minutes to compose this beautiful, typo-free note that no one actually read. E-mail is intended to be a quick form of communication. Anything that involves more time should be done over the phone or in person.

Phone calls. It's great to build a nice conversation—talk about the weather, their life—and then move on to the point. Again, we're all busy here. With all the chit-chat it can be easy to lose track of why you called in the first place. Most importantly, be sure to keep a pen and piece of paper nearby to scratch out any details because, trust me, you won’t remember the specifics later.

Meetings. Everyone hates them. 'Nuff said.

Generally, it comes down to this: If the paperwork, issue, or person is in front of you then take care of it! It doesn't help anyone or anything to set it aside and focus on it later. It'll take more time to remember what you were doing in the first place than to just handle it and move on.

I’ll need to keep these in mind through my ongoing quest for the 40-hour work week (now, "The Goal").

Update on "The Goal":

Week #1: I hit 40 hours-ish as I was in the office at 8:30 pm Thursday night. So, I obviously didn’t succeed this week. Sigh. I guess will start fresh on Monday.

Workaholic

2009-11-29T00:11:00.007-07:00

I work too much.

Honestly.

I'm salaried and I constantly pull 10- to 12-hour days with no overtime pay. The company has also put a freeze on salary increases. I'm often burnt-out and frazzled. In short: What The Hell Am I Doing?

I need to get a grip on time management. The problems are that 1.) I usually get much more done after 6 pm when everyone is gone; 2.) My boss comes in late and works late and thus expects me to stay as well; and 3.) I honestly don't know what to do with myself if I'm home at 5 or 5:30.

I recently read an amazing guest post on Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You To Be Rich (buy his book, by the way, it's amazing!) about how to be accomplished and successful while working an 8-hour day. It's all about time management and productivity. I'm good at my job and I enjoy what I do, but I have to admit that I need to be more focused during the time that I am there! My new goal is to get a lot done, progress within my company, and still enjoy my personal hobbies.

Maybe with a 40-hour work week I will actually have time to get through my reading list. I could run more, make time to see friends, study for the GRE, cook, sleep, and even (gasp!) relax. I have seen so few movies and tv shows that it is hard to hold a casual conversation. True story.

Work less? That shouldn't be hard, right? But it is, trust me. Society commonly defines people by their occupation and we often become emotionally invested in our jobs. Personal success and failure determined by a paycheck. Not good.

Balance is the goal. Time management is the key. And being happy—both at the job and away from it—is worth the fight.

So, this next week my goal is this: To work my a** off (as usual), but in a consistent and productive manner for 8-hours a day. And then go home. This will be hard, and it may take some time, but I think both my personal and professional lives will benefit from it.

It's gonna get interesting.

New Orleans Wrap-Up

2009-11-23T14:35:00.019-07:00

I brought my camera with me to the Big Easy. I had all these amazing intentions to take pictures of the city, the conference, the food…

I didn’t take a single picture with my camera. I did take one photo with my phone (my black suit looked great).

Despite my lack of photography, the trip was good! The numbers were low—in both attendance and exhibitors—but I still think it was an otherwise successful conference.

The highlights (and lowlights):

Dinner at Mr. B’s Bistro. I had their pork chop—delicious.

The Roosevelt hotel. Gorgeous! Very ornate decorations. Except that it really bugged me when they repeatedly “refreshed” the room and switched on every light and electronic machine possible. I appreciate the service but all I could think about was how much time, money, electricity, and resources that were wasted! My room is clean, now just walk away.

The hotel had a gym! Running below sea level is fun.

I collected a number of business cards and chatted about some promising book projects… and some not-so-promising book projects. “Japanese foreign policy in Mozambique”? “Deforestation and wildlife policy in Nigeria”? Um, yikes. Very narrow. Who’s going to read that?

My coworkers. Had a great time gossiping with our marketing manager and it was nice to see an old colleague.

The French Quarter. So cute and charming! Unfortunately, we didn’t make it out of these touristy areas so I don’t think I got to see the “real” New Orleans (whatever that may be).

The attendees—full of life and character! We had African music outside our booth. One man wanted to buy a book so badly (at the sale price, of course) that he took our only copy and carried it around the book exhibit until the "fire sale". Heaven forbid that either 1) someone else bought the book, or 2) he had to pay full price.

Lowlight: the conference was poorly organized. Two-thirds of us had to sharpie our names on the name tags. Not very professional for being a “professional” conference and all.

Lowlight: unless we sat at the bar (where we often made good friends with the bartenders!) the service was painfully slow. I’m not sure if this is a “Big Easy” thing or what, but it’s a good thing that we weren’t ever in a rush.

Despite the downsides, it was all-in-all a good experience! It’s nice to be back in my own bed and I'm even more excited for the long weekend out of the office. (My e-mail inbox still scares me.)

More to the point, I hope that being at the meeting will help to circulate my name among our authors and even more important, potential authors. My goal is that people will realize that they can come directly to me with their questions and their book projects.

I have to admit that just getting out of town for a while was nice, but there is one thing I really took away from this conference: Don’t worry so much! Things inevitably go much better—in business and in life—when you just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Which badge looks more professional?

Conference Preparation

2009-11-15T20:10:00.009-07:00

I have to admit: I’m both excited and surprisingly apathetic about the upcoming African Studies Association conference. There will be only a few exhibitors and I’m sure that a number of professors and students will not make the trip to New Orleans due to departmental budget cuts and the end-of-semester crunch. Despite this, I’m still looking forward to meeting a number of our authors and finally placing faces to the endless e-mails and phone calls.

On a good note, I have some great outfits picked out! And “professional” hair, of course. I’m planning to bring two suits from The Limited and some classy shirts from Banana Republic—hurrah! (Yes, some days I am still a girl when it comes to these things.) Where I’m stuck is what to wear on the casual set-up and travel days. My normal Boulder attire—jeans and an old running shirt—probably won’t cut it. This is where being raised with two older brothers is a problem. I have absolutely no fashion sense.

The thing I’m most worried about? It’s not seeing New Orleans, missing some of the sights, or even making a complete dork of myself at the conference. It’s that the hotel doesn’t have a gym! No treadmill. Anywhere. I just ran a 5k this morning and had a great run and even a new personal record—in a blizzard! So now I’m even more motivated. I want to hit another personal record in the ColderBoulder in December. Besides, running will allow me to eat everything in sight in a city known for its cuisine.

Am I becoming a Boulderite? Already? Say it ain’t so!

Anyway, back to New Orleans and the conference. My goals:

1.) Eat lots of great food and try new dishes
2.) Make a lasting impression with our authors
3.) Meet some more industry professionals
4.) See some live jazz
5.) Most importantly, stop worrying and just enjoy myself

Sounds easy enough, right? Right?

(Crickets…)

Wish me luck.

Being a Professional and Your Hair?

2009-11-04T15:25:00.013-07:00

I dyed my hair today. I dyed it brown. I grew up a blonde and have been fighting to keep it light for years. But I’m attending a professional conference in two weeks and I feel like having dark hair will help me to look older and more professional. Unfortunate as it may be, young blondes aren’t exactly embraced in academia.

I never knew that hair was such a tricky subject! Some of my favorite conversations from this afternoon:

From my mom: “Was this something you'd been thinking about or was it the result of over-partying?”
My response: “Over-partying? Really? I promise that I’m not sipping vodka at my desk or even in the salon chair.”

From my sister-in-law: “The hair rules are: Going lighter- use a professional. Going darker- can be done from a box. Another reason us brunettes are so awesome. We're a cheap date.”

My response: "If that’s the case then I love being a brunette!"

From my coworker: Instead of saying, “I like it” he asked, “Do you like it?” which means that he doesn’t like it.

In any case, the point is this: How can you be a professional, stylish, young woman without going over the line? Long hair vs. short hair; blonde vs. brown; heels vs. flats; too much makeup? not enough?

Is it possible to win?

A quick google search shows that this is a very real question for women in the workplace. One of my favorite style blogs, Wardrobe 911, projects a feminine yet professional image. But clothes are expensive! $200 for a skirt or pair of slacks? Impossible for a young professional who is just trying to make rent.

My office is pretty casual, but I still try to make an effort (most days). Equally so, I look ridiculous if I overdress at work when everyone else is wearing jeans and khakis. A fine line.

Despite the hilarious one-liners from my family and friends, I’m going to have to wait and see the response from my boss and from conference attendees (authors, industry professionals, etc.).

I’m asking for respect despite my age. If the color of my hair is one step closer to that professional acknowledgment then I’m willing to make the sacrifice.

Companies and Social Media

2009-10-29T15:15:00.022-06:00

I work for an academic publisher. Academics+books = small (and somewhat irrational) fear of technology. This is not speaking for everyone, of course, but it does speak to our fearless leader and some of our most beloved authors.

A friend/coworker in our marketing department and I have been debating on whether or not our company should get involved in social media. Facebook, blogs, twitter, MySpace, etc. Is it useful? Will people actually follow us? Do we even have something to say?

This seems to be the debate for anyone considering the social media scene.

I have to admit that Facebook doesn't seem to be a very strong option (and no one uses MySpace anymore). I am commonly annoyed by "fan requests" for people or businesses. I may own a pair of Keen shoes, but not everyone has to know about it. For example, the company who prints our letterhead and business cards has a Facebook page. Cute? Yes. But their fans are probably husbands/wives and close friends. I'm just sayin'.

Twitter, however, seems a more viable option. I admit that I originally joined just to see what all the hooplah was about (see my account here). Am I following more people than are following me? Absolutely. I guess I'm not that popular. I haven't really gotten "into the conversation" of Twitter and am trying to improve that now. My good friend, however, said that she has met some genuine people through Twitter, and has even come to call them friends. My other friend got hired into her public relations job in San Francisco through Twitter. All I can say to this is, Wow! But will it have the same effect with our company?

Some big-name publishing companies that have Twitter accounts:

Some academic presses are also on Twitter. A helpful listing is here. A few presses also have blogs. Did I know about any of these twitter accounts or blogs? No. Did I have to google them? Absolutely. Something is wrong here...

Some academic press twitter accounts:

Now that many companies have a greater online presence (webpages, etc.), is social media still worthwhile? Is it worth the time put in? Maybe, maybe not. But in this process a company can learn about technology, get a couple new "fans," and, if anything, make a friend or two.

My Contributions

2009-10-23T14:57:00.003-06:00

I tried to start a blog back in July about learning how to cook. I'm not a good cook and am determined to try new recipes. However, seeing as my 8-year old camera is broken and the fact that I still never cook, that idea was a bust before it even got off the ground.

A short e-book by Charlie Hoehn, titled "The Recession-Proof Graduate" reignited my desire to blog. I work in academic publishing and am interested in all forms of media and modern communication. But I need to be more involved in the conversation! Besides, how else am I supposed to keep up-to-date when my company is still using Word Perfect? (Seriously, Word Perfect.)

So it begins. I have no idea what this blog will bring or its future direction, but that's half the fun.

Onward!