Best friggin' whipped cream - ever

Be warned - once you use Meadowbrook Farms heavy cream to make whipped cream you will be ruined for any other whipped cream.  Period.  I don't know where the stuff is available retail, I just add it to my weekly order when I need a fix, but it is in your best interest to find this glorious dairy product.

This time of the year, all it takes for a perfect ending (which often exceeds a happy ending), is some whipped cream, some berries or other fruit, and perhaps an angel food or pound cake.  Simple. 

You do make your own whipped cream, right?  Because it is so easy, there's really no reason to ingest funky chemicals (hello, Cool Whip) when all it takes is heavy cream, sugar and perhaps a few dribbles of vanilla or some other extract or liqueur of your liking.  For no logical or legitimate reason, I don't own a hand mixer so I do my whipping by hand - always using a stainless bowl which has spent a little time in the refrigerator getting cool.  Whip, whip, beat, beat and in a few short minutes you've got yourself a delectable confection ready to be used as dip (fingers allowed), a frosting or the perfect thing to dollop into after dinner coffees.  Make this and be happy with summer's simple delights. 

My first 5K!

image: Bob Kopac

image: Bob Kopac

This was actually my second 5K if you count the year I did the Freihofer's Run with my friend, Sharon.  I think it was 1998 and I know I had to stop and walk once or twice before finishing in about 38 or 39 minutes.  And, I believe we lubricated our joints at  The Griffin following the race.  Yesterday I started my day with a run across the river as part of the Treetops to Rooftops race.  Yep, the river.  It was a spectacular morning, cool in the early morning fog, yet hot by the time we looped around the east side of the river and headed back across the beautiful Hudson.  There were people of all ages and abilities, teams with matching shirts and even a face or two I recognized from the Capital District and I had a great time.  There were only about four hundred participants and I loved the course and the vibe.  I will definitely do this run again.  Heck - maybe I'll do it just for fun when I'm down that way next.  And, for the record, I finished in 28:10, which is about 10 minutes less than my time from 13 years ago.  Further evidence I have not yet peaked!  Warrior Dash 2011 is next on the agenda...

Sunday dinner

Seems like a long time since I've done a Sunday dinner post.  Last week's dilemma was my indecision about whether I should run or eat.  Because I sometimes have an issue with making choices, I went with all three.  "Three?" you say,  "Weren't there only 2 options?"  Perhaps to those who think in a much more linear fashion than I do. there were only 2 choices.  I went with a light pre-run snack of a fantastically delicious peach and then ran. I followed my run with 2 black bean burritos with cheddar, salsa and Arugula.  Perfect.  The beans are kind of a joke (at the least my former roommate, Rachel would laugh) because they came from a can and I didn't let them cook for days and days until they were so incredibly flavorful one could enjoy them at any and every meal of the day.  Nope, not like Rachel's beans, but these were ok after I doctored them up with cumin, red pepper flakes, a touch of cinnamon and salt. And, following my four mile run they were damned tasty on a warm flour tortilla.  Sunday dinners may not be what they once were, but they still are a great way to wrap up a weekend.

a weighty subject

In the last week, a minimum of 8 people made comments to me about my weight.  No one was overly critical, but there was a note of concern in more than one voice.  I can only imagine that if 8 people said something to my face, another 5 or 10 had said something behind my "tiny" back, right?  So, let's talk about it.

Yes, I have lost weight and, no, I'm not sick, thankfully.

The usual ways - more exercise, closer attention to what I eat, coffee and emotional energy. Not always in that order.

I feel great!  I am totally clued in to my body and its health.  I went to the chiropractor for the first time in a year and diagnosed the problem prior to walking in to the office - told him I felt my right hip rolling in and my glute stretching, and my foot on the same side, turning in as I ran.  He completely confirmed my assessment and gave me some exercises to help. get me back in alignment.  It was incredibly empowering, to me, to be that tuned in to what was going on with my strong body. Cool.

Speaking of cool, I figured out that abs come from breathing correctly!  I realized that I no longer felt rawness in my lungs because my breath was coming from another, deeper place - my abdomen!  That's how  it works.  Sorry, if I'm a little slow and, by the way, I don't run fast either, but I can run 4 miles and love almost every step of it.

My heart has had quite a workout in recent months, but it is stronger than ever.  The heart is a muscle, isn't it?  That's a factor as well, don't you think?

kind of proud of my ugly toenails...

I was looking for a random older photo on my computer - my iphoto goes back to 2007, just to compare my appearance from then to now.  I was struck by how many photo albums, or events, I had to scroll through before I found a picture of myself.  Wow - I was invisible!  I thought that maybe I had a bit of a  dysmorphic disorder going on, but after reading the definition, I say nope.  I definitely do not feel overly critical of my physical self - ugly toenails or not.  I just don't see the same changes to my appearance that some of you seem to see.  The pictures below help, but I think I look healthy and lean, not thin.

April 2011

June 2007

So often, weight is an indicator of happiness;  up, down, holding steady or coasting.  It isn't about that at all, for me.  It's about gaining control of my body by listening to it. So, when you tell me I'm too thin, I'll smile and listen to you, but  there's no reason to get heavy on me.  My body is speaking even louder.

Lark Street is for Lovers - and art and kids

On Saturday I actually was able to bring my youngest child to an event on Lark Street without fear that he would be visually assaulted by public urination (no, Quinn, it isn't ok for people to pee outside.  Unless they're camping, of course) or intoxicated revelers.  Yes, as you could probably tell by the rainy forecast, it was Art on Lark - remarkably enough being held for  the 15th year. 

hello, awesome t-shirt

Q and I didn't have much of a game plan other than to catch Olivia Quillio's set and do a little tie-dying at the Albany Art Room.  He was a bit miffed that his soccer game had been canceled (go AYSO team Kicking and Screaming!) and promised me he wasn't going to have any fun making art.  I have to tell you, it is amazing what a little one on one time and a hot dog can do to cheer up a frustrated athlete, because he most certainly (and admittedly) did have fun.  We started with a Lark Street lap, beginning at Madison Avenue and going as far as Spring Street, at which point the passionate rage of the poets compelled us to turn around and head back south.  Along the way, we browsed the art offerings, and grabbed the aforementioned hot dog and an order of fresh spring rolls from Kinnaree ($5 for 2!) for me.  I regretted  not bringing more cash with me in my attempt to travel light, but I did buy an awesome shirt and a bar of special, handmade soap.

Olivia Quillio doing her thing

We made it back to Lark Street to catch most of Olivia's set and I was seriously impressed.  I'll be keeping my eyes open for another opportunity to see her, believe me. I totally spaced that Alta Mira was following her and missed my chance to see them, but I imagine there will be another time in the future.

Our final stop was tie-dye central at the Albany Art Room.  For $10 we got a white t-shirt and assistance with creating the masterpiece pictured here.  Seriously, if that's not a well done tie-dye, I don't know what is.  Q must have gotten some sort of latent Grateful Dead gene from his dad or maybe even his godfather.  Either way, I'll be keeping an eye on him as his chronological age catches up to his coolness age, trust me. 

Despite the sporadic rain, it was a great event and I hope the vendors were able to make a little money while they were making this Albanian proud of her city for hosting such a quality event.  It would be wonderful if Albany's elected officials could ensure that more of the city sponsored events were family friendly rather than family repellent.  Because, despite my little man's attempt at being resistant to enjoying himself, he definitely had a good time.  Yep, that's my boy.

running diaries chapbook - part III

I was running the other evening and started thinking about a conversation I had shared earlier with someone to whom I am very close, a person who wants to take care of me in a way I have never known.  I took note of my grey exercise skort and my different shade of grey jersey, and realized I was ridiculously poorly dressed for the dusky conditions, and not being as cautious as I had promised to be.  Damn.  I need to pay better attention.

image from: lh5.googleusercontent.com

Our discussion had been, as it often was, about writing and people and people who wrote, and who reads what people write.  We talked about sickness, and the consistent thread of exercise and healthy eating often tying together those who had been physically challenged, yet had recovered. "Survivors" is a dramatic word, ruined by reality television, but it perfectly describes people who, following serious illness, had begun to experience their bodies, and more than likely their minds and hearts, in new ways.  "Survivor."  Serve I.  I get it - I need to pay better attention.  I was asked if there had been a moment of clarity for me to become more physically fit?  Was it a conscious decision? A resolution?  

No, it wasn't, it was gradual, almost imperceptible. Kind of like that cancerous piece of shit which had taken hold of my thyroid, and later, my parotid gland. Stealth. I experienced a shift in what I was interested in eating, an expansion of my appetite for exercise.  I was more selective about what I ate to maximize my enjoyment - I have no interest in food that doesn't nurture me, regardless of how "good" it tastes. Fruits, veggies and grains became more appealing and I felt great.  I became more patient about preparing my meals and investing the time necessary to obtain quality food. I was worth the effort.  I became more dedicated to a regular exercise schedule.  Working out became a nonnegotiable priority.

Exercise and healthy eating require one to pay attention to their body and to be seriously committed to getting stronger.  It takes time.  I will always wonder if I got cancer because it was a message to pay closer attention to my own body. A body which has been challenged with an illness such as cancer, I think, can teach a person to take ownership of their body with healthy habits. For me, getting fit was a direct, albeit initially subconscious, response to feeling as if I was not in control of my body.

I'm in a very new place in my life these days.  New, however, doesn't feel the slightest bit scary, which is very unusual for me.  I'm paying attention to every moment, patiently waiting for what comes next while loving this exact moment in time.  

running diaries chapbook - part II

image from: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/

The runs I resist the most, are always the most satisfying.  The unexpected charm of an arid mountain, climbing to the cloudless sky in 85 degrees.  Running along the port on the north side of Amsterdam's Central Station, listening to Bono count to One...a drizzly jog down the west shore of Greenwood Lake, nursing a heartbreak... These are experiences that have stayed with me in some instances, for decades.  The sensations from those runs have been tattooed on my body with invisible ink, leaving permanent marks that only I can see.

A recent run nearly didn't happen.  I came this close to bailing.  But, I changed into my running clothes, plugged into my little eye pod* and began to jog just outside my door and it felt good in the dim light of an early June night.  Here are the songs which shuffled between my ears:

Pump it/Black Eyed Peas (samples Dick Dale's "Misirlou")

Ray of Light/Madonna "And I feel like I just got home"

Crash/DMB

Own it/Black Eyed Peas "If you've been dreaming all your life this is your chance"

Dog Days are Over/Florence and the Machine "Happiness hit her like a train on the track"

The Time (Dirty Bit)/Black Eyed Peas

Redemption Song/Marley

Changed the Locks/Lucinda Williams

Each song seemed to speak directly to me about the future, and promise and hope and love. More than once, I laughed out loud at a particular lyric and there was a complete permagrin on my face as I adapted my pace to match the beat in my ears, the rhythm in my heart remaining strong and steady.

I can't even describe what a fantastic, magical run it was!  As I passed the tennis courts at Albany Academy I glimpsed the moon, an orangy crescent to my left, and I knew it was going to be a memorable run.  One of those I would remember forever.  There were times when I felt as if my legs wanted to race even faster than my heart or head, and I literally felt them pull me along.  Amazing.  

Go find something which amazes you.  I promise it will be worth the effort.

**thus named because so often the music helps me to see