My good friend Sheri and her husband spent a few weeks in Eastern Europe last month. They toured Prague, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Czech Republic. I was bummed that she was gone because I didn't have my friend and HLS partner to talk to:( However, it was all worth it because she brought back some Hungarian Paprika for me. OMG. Authentic Hungarian Paprika from Hungary!! How excellent was that? Very excellent. Yes, it is very different from the paprika you get at your local market.
Tonight, I made Chicken Paprikas with potato dumpings. This recipe called for instant mashed potatoes for the dumplings but the German in me knows how to deal with real taters, so I stayed authentic here. Sorry, no photos because our digicam is still broken. I have got to tell you, this paprika made my chicken so delicious I didn't want to stop eating it. I wanted to eat and eat and eat and eat. But quickly realized that the run and plyo workout I had just finished would be for nothing. So, I only had a normal dinner portion in the hopes to maintain my girlish figger:)
Thanks again for the paprika Sheri, I love it:)
Monday, October 30, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Las Vegas....seriously overrated
I was in Vegas two weeks ago for a conference for work. I've been there three times before and each time have only had a "meh" kind of feeling about it. The only time I truly enjoyed myself was when I won $250 on a quarter slot machine. I'm not a gambler by nature though, I just don't see the point of just handing your hard earned money over to a complete stranger that is statistically going to win more often than not. This mean you lose. Your money=gone.
What was different? Me. The non-smoking me. Yeah, I used to smoke in my pre-athlete life. I smoked and drank and did lots of other things that killed many brain cells. I'm actually quite surprised to be alive after all of the damage I've done to my body when I was younger. Along with all of the really STUPID choices I made while under the influence of things.
I absolutely hated it this trip. I couldn't wait for the hours to roll by so I could be back home in San Jose where people that run on the sidewalks and up stairs are considered normal. Yeah, that's right. I ran up and down the strip while I was there and every pot-bellied midwestern hick family that I passed looked at me like I was from the outer limits...space..if you will. Like, "what is she doing? what is that thing she's doing with her legs? I've never seen that before, she must be crazy, somebody lock 'er up." I even stopped in front of the Bellagio where they have the water show and did traveling lunges, jump squats and wall kicks! Okay, maybe that was a *bit* mental, but fat doesn't care that you're out of town.
But I digress....Life is hard for non-smokers in Vegas. It's one damn second-hand smoke/cancer nightmare after another. Even though you ask for a non-smoking room on a non-smoking floor, it really doesn't matter. Because some f*(&ing inconsiderate bastard is going to light up whether or not you like it. I came back to my room after a night out with my coworkers and there was someone's room service cart outside of their room with two ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts. I couldn't believe it. I mean, what a DICKHEAD.
I was there at the beginning of the week, so there were no good house music parties to go to at the clubs. The music that my coworkers are into is completely different than what I like...I mean...they were doing the f*&*%ing electric slide at the bar for feck's sake!! These were middle-aged family folks that obviously never get the chance to go out and have any kind of fun at all, so once they were in sin city, they let it all go. And they really shoulnd't have. It was so embarrassing.
So, the only thing I do like about Vegas is the shopping. You can find some one-of-a-kind things there in all of the specialty shops. I did stop at the Jose Eber salon and had my eyebrows waxed and it was the best job I've ever seen. They were perfect. I'm certain I won't be able to duplicate that at home though. And I did stop Vosges Haut Chocolat and picked up many truffles. Oh, they were muy delicioso for sure. I loved loved loved the chocolate with paprika. OMG. So tasty. So expensive!
But if you're not into smoking, drinking, gambling or strippers....which I'm not....Vegas is not the place for you...or me. There, I said it Vegas...you totally SUCK ASS.
What was different? Me. The non-smoking me. Yeah, I used to smoke in my pre-athlete life. I smoked and drank and did lots of other things that killed many brain cells. I'm actually quite surprised to be alive after all of the damage I've done to my body when I was younger. Along with all of the really STUPID choices I made while under the influence of things.
I absolutely hated it this trip. I couldn't wait for the hours to roll by so I could be back home in San Jose where people that run on the sidewalks and up stairs are considered normal. Yeah, that's right. I ran up and down the strip while I was there and every pot-bellied midwestern hick family that I passed looked at me like I was from the outer limits...space..if you will. Like, "what is she doing? what is that thing she's doing with her legs? I've never seen that before, she must be crazy, somebody lock 'er up." I even stopped in front of the Bellagio where they have the water show and did traveling lunges, jump squats and wall kicks! Okay, maybe that was a *bit* mental, but fat doesn't care that you're out of town.
But I digress....Life is hard for non-smokers in Vegas. It's one damn second-hand smoke/cancer nightmare after another. Even though you ask for a non-smoking room on a non-smoking floor, it really doesn't matter. Because some f*(&ing inconsiderate bastard is going to light up whether or not you like it. I came back to my room after a night out with my coworkers and there was someone's room service cart outside of their room with two ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts. I couldn't believe it. I mean, what a DICKHEAD.
I was there at the beginning of the week, so there were no good house music parties to go to at the clubs. The music that my coworkers are into is completely different than what I like...I mean...they were doing the f*&*%ing electric slide at the bar for feck's sake!! These were middle-aged family folks that obviously never get the chance to go out and have any kind of fun at all, so once they were in sin city, they let it all go. And they really shoulnd't have. It was so embarrassing.
So, the only thing I do like about Vegas is the shopping. You can find some one-of-a-kind things there in all of the specialty shops. I did stop at the Jose Eber salon and had my eyebrows waxed and it was the best job I've ever seen. They were perfect. I'm certain I won't be able to duplicate that at home though. And I did stop Vosges Haut Chocolat and picked up many truffles. Oh, they were muy delicioso for sure. I loved loved loved the chocolate with paprika. OMG. So tasty. So expensive!
But if you're not into smoking, drinking, gambling or strippers....which I'm not....Vegas is not the place for you...or me. There, I said it Vegas...you totally SUCK ASS.
Friday, October 20, 2006
I don't even know what a triathlete is anymore....
Seriously. It's been about a month since my bike and I have bonded. It's been about a month since I've been surrounded by water. The only thing I have been doing intermittantly is running.
I ran the Inaugural Rock 'n Roll San Jose Half Marathon recently and loved it. The RNR people have totally got their stuff together. My expectations for every future race I do is at a level that is damn near unreachable for any other race org. They have every single detail thought out. They handed out little salt packets when you enter your corral before the start. I mean...who thinks of this stuff?? They even had the option of ordering a video clip of the race that includes me running through the finish line. I'm in the red cap sprinting to the finish:) Now I want that at every race!
I just had my hair dyed red and spent so hundreds of dollars on it that I won't dare put one little finger or toe in the chlorinated water to swim. That's going to have to wait until the hair has faded to it's normal shade of blonde. And isn't it sad when your triathlon life is put on hold in the name of red/violet #3? My last tri was in February - I turned duathlete in June when I raced with Sheri at Mermaid. She stayed true to her triathlete roots and I wimped out and did the du. But it was fun nonetheless and I thought I wanted to do more, but never found the time. Then I found the need to be girly.
Triathlon....I'll be back to you eventually. Perhaps for Wildflower in 2007 because I need a certain amount of masochism in my life:) Until then, my hair will take it's turn in the spotlight for the winter.
I ran the Inaugural Rock 'n Roll San Jose Half Marathon recently and loved it. The RNR people have totally got their stuff together. My expectations for every future race I do is at a level that is damn near unreachable for any other race org. They have every single detail thought out. They handed out little salt packets when you enter your corral before the start. I mean...who thinks of this stuff?? They even had the option of ordering a video clip of the race that includes me running through the finish line. I'm in the red cap sprinting to the finish:) Now I want that at every race!
I just had my hair dyed red and spent so hundreds of dollars on it that I won't dare put one little finger or toe in the chlorinated water to swim. That's going to have to wait until the hair has faded to it's normal shade of blonde. And isn't it sad when your triathlon life is put on hold in the name of red/violet #3? My last tri was in February - I turned duathlete in June when I raced with Sheri at Mermaid. She stayed true to her triathlete roots and I wimped out and did the du. But it was fun nonetheless and I thought I wanted to do more, but never found the time. Then I found the need to be girly.
Triathlon....I'll be back to you eventually. Perhaps for Wildflower in 2007 because I need a certain amount of masochism in my life:) Until then, my hair will take it's turn in the spotlight for the winter.
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