Food, Movies, and Pain

One of my most defining characteristics is my unnatural love for Subway sandwiches. Just thinking about the messy goodness of an Italian BMT on wheat with lettuce, tomato, olives, pickles, cucumbers, jalapenos, mustard, oil & vinegar, and salt & pepper, makes my mouth water like a fountain. Thus, when I saw the tv ad last night for a $5 footlong special, I instantly knew what I was having for lunch today. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. I've never had to wait so long for a sandwich, but at least it was well worth it. I even saved the other half for lunch tomorrow until I realized I have a group lunch scheduled. Here's to hoping it won't be too soggy on Wed.

Speaking of delicious foods, we ate dinner at Lefty's on Saturday with Ryan's parents and his brother Kevin. Lefty's is a Chicago style pizza joint, originally discovered (amongst our circle) by Dave Frankel, culinary pioneer. I've never been a huge fan of Chicago style pizza - it tends to be too heavy, too cheesy, and too oily. However, Lefty's pizza manages to be decadent without crossing the line. Ryan's dad orders it with mushrooms, green bell peppers, and jalapenos baked into the cheese and with extra tomato sauce on top. The best part is we always have leftovers so Ryan and I get to eat pizza for days.

After dinner, we went to watch 21, the movie based on the book Bringing Down the House, which is about the MIT Blackjack team that won millions of dollars through card counting. I didn't have high hopes for this movie since the previews seemed way too glamorized. However, I was excited to see scenes from MIT and learn more about the story. As expected, the screenplay was ridiculous (skip to next paragraph if you dont want spoilers). In particular, the MIT professor who leads the team turns out to be an evil jerk, who steals from his students and bars them from graduating just for disrespecting him. Um what? How did someone like this become an MIT professor in the first place? Additionally, the actors were annoying, particularly the two Asians on the team, and the main characters were way too attractive to be believeable. It was mildly entertaining but pretty disappointing that a great story was dumbed down so much to make it "attractive" for the masses. At least the movie has motivated us to learn about card counting in preparation for our trip to Vegas in June. Mama needs a new pair of shoes! No really, I do...

On Sunday, Ryan and I drove down to Ocean Beach at 8:30am. Ryan had a soccer game so I decided to take the opportunity to do my long run around Mission Bay. I met my coworker friend Rob who is training for the marathon and we ran 10 miles at a 10:55 min/mile pace, according to Rob's Garmin. He had ran 12 miles at a 8min/mile pace prior to meeting me so I'm sure he welcomed my sluggish company. I would have liked to run faster but all I had to eat was one of those Gu energy gels. We only stopped twice to blow my nose and once more to eat my other energy gel so I'm pretty satisfied with the run. Unfortunately, my left knee was killing me the rest of the afternoon. On top of that, someone kicked Ryan very hard in the shin/ankle area and he was so bruised that he was unable to stand on his left leg. Luckily his sister brought over crutches, which of course reminded me of the time I broke my ankle in NY and had to commute to work in Greenwich, CT on CRUTCHES. During that period, my arms became as muscular as a circus strong man. A frightening sight indeed.

Henry-in-the-Box

Chinese Paintings

I finally got around to reframing my uncle's beautiful chinese paintings. These paintings were originally set on long scrolls, which my cats all but destroyed. Luckily the paintings themselves were salvagable and look gorgeous in the new frames. It was shockingly expensive but I think that's the natural reaction for a novice framer.

Health Nut Blueberry Muffins

I've been trying to use up a box of blueberries from Costco so I decided to make these Health Nut Blueberry Muffins. I followed the recipe exactly and thought the muffins were tasty but could have been a bit sweeter and crispier on top. It certainly tasted healthy, tricking my mind into thinking I could eat 3 at once. Needless to say the muffins did not last long. Luckily, because Costco sizes are enormous, I had enough blueberries to make another batch tonight. I had no bananas so I substituted 1/3 cup of vegetable oil. I also sprinkled sugar on top to add some crispness. The fat from the oil really crisped up the edges and gave it a more muffin-like texture. I'd definitely make these again with my substitutions.

Weekend Warriors

Last weekend, my college friends Maya and Becca came to visit from San Francisco. Hooray friends! Ryan and I picked them up from the airport on Friday night and immediately whisked them to Bon Appetito for a late dinner. I ordered my usual dish, Cappellini alla Checca, which was as delicious as ever. The real surprise of the night was the seafood gnocchi special that Maya and Becca split. It was melt-in-your-mouth heaven. We drank our fill of wine and came back home to call it a night.

On Saturday, Becca and I went on a 6 mile run. Two things were working against me on this one: a) the extreme heartburn from eating leftover spicy pasta right before the run and b) the scorching heat of the midday sun. Luckily, Becca (who I think barely broke a sweat) urged me on with her normal peppy self and we finished the run in one piece. Afterwards, the girls (Ryan had to go to LA to work) went to Whole Foods and picked up everything we needed for a picnic at the beach. We got sesame tofu, cauliflower in tahini sauce (very tasty), curry chicken salad, naan, babaganoosh, garlic green beans, and a chopped medley of tropical fruit. We spent a few hours at Del Mar beach eating, chatting, and basking in the sun. When it got a bit cooler, we came back to our complex and hung out at the jacuzzi/pool. It wasn't quite a spa but it came damn close for being free. Once Ryan got back, we got dressed up for the night and hit downtown La Jolla. Dinner ended up being at Sushi on the Rock, which had good sushi but an amazingly inefficient staff. I don't think I'd go there again (would rather go to Sushi Ota in Pacific Beach). The plan was to go dancing after dinner but after all that sun, we (meaning everyone but Becca) decided to go home instead. It should be noted that Becca is a dancing machine while Maya and I are lazy by nature and prone to activities such as napping. Once home and changed into PJs, we watched Rocket Science, which I thought was great fun, and collectively devoured massive amounts of chocolate. To our delight, we discovered Becca was a certified masseuse and she graciously gave us all foot rubs.

On Sunday, I woke our guests up at what Maya called the crack of dawn for a 10am yoga class. Afterwards, we refueled at Brockton Villa in downtown La Jolla which had a delicious Easter Brunch menu. I particularly liked the Bloody Marys and Becca's eggs benedict with lox. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking off our meal and enjoying the gorgeous weather. After we dropped Maya and Becca off at the airport, I realized how much we all needed a weekend like this: a weekend purely dedicated to relaxing and the enjoyment of your friends' company. Next up: San Francisco.

Salmon With Sour Cream Dill Sauce

For dinner tonight, I pan seared some salmon steaks and made a sauce out of sour cream, dill, shallots, horseradish, and some other seasonings. The salad was dressed with a ginger dressing I got from the asian supermarket and the potatoes were tossed with oil, garlic, chili pepper, salt and pepper, and parsley. For dessert, we walked to the local produce store and got some Cadbury Flake bars. These treats are a new obsession for me but a blast from the past for Ryan. They are quite delicious.

Here's a picture of Fred tucked into a loaf.

Sidewalks Are My Friend

I did it! I ran my 10-mile long run today and I even managed to finish with an average pace of 10:30 min/mile, as instructed by my training program. Unfortunately, I did stop at points to walk - sometimes because I was tired and my knees hurt, other times because the sidewalk would suddenly end along my route and I'd have to cautiously cling to the bike lane as semi trucks whizzed by. Who knew Genesee turned into such a dangerous highway?! MapMyRun.com should have warned me...Anyway, I'm guessing I walked a total of three quarters of a mile which is fine with me. Hopefully my next route will not be so "adventurous".

After my run, I took a nice hot bath and waited for Ryan to get back from his soccer game. Since then, we've pretty much been eating the most random foods including some yellowtail sashimi that I got from the asian supermarket yesterday, a LOT of chips and salsa from Whole Foods, some asian crackers and mochi balls, and finally some chocolate soy milk for me and Newcastle beer for Ryan. Speaking of asian supermarkets, I'd like to note how absolutely obnoxious I find asian people in large masses, particularly when they're mobbing food at the supermarket. Few things stress me out as much.

New Digs

I hate not posting any pictures so here are some shots of the two most important rooms in our new place. Yes, behold the kitchen and my walk in closet. The closet is actually so roomy that I can't fill it up! Must...buy...more...

Weekly Things

This past Tues was the day of my last art class. We were told to bring something we've been dying to draw and we were promised an experimental class filled with avante garde techniques and different ways of approaching art. Unfortunately, I did not make it. In retrospect, there was no good reason for missing the class. I left work at six, came home to pick up my art supplies, and then just decided I was too tired to do anything beyond lay on the couch and wait for Ryan to get home so I could tell him how tired I was.

Strangely, my mental laziness this week has been counterbalanced by my physical motivation. On Wed, I hauled my butt to the gym after work to do three 1-mile intervals, ending up with a total mileage of 4.5. Yesterday, I attended two yoga classes and rediscovered how amazingly sweaty I can get during yoga. Today, though feeling quite sore, I dragged myself outdoors to run my 5-mile tempo which I surprising finished at a 9:30 min/mile pace. Sadly, every inch of me has since stiffened up and I'm curled up on my sofa like a wizened date (poor analogy?) but at least I stuck to my guns. Now if I can only bring myself to do the long run this weekend...

Aside from that I haven't had much opportunity to cook anything particularly delicious or draw anything stellar, so the posts have been sparse. Ryan and I did go over to my friend Sophie's house last night for dinner and she made a yummy meal of pork tenderloin with a mustard wine dressing, scalloped potatoes marinated in garlic and olive oil, crisp romaine salad with balsamic vinegrette, and chocolate lava cakes with sauteed pears. Too bad we didn't take any pictures. It looked just as good as it tasted. Tonight, we're planning on meeting Ryan's family for a beer tasting event and hopefully grab some dinner afterwards. I am officially starving.

Back In Business Perhaps?

Feeling guilty that I skipped out on my long run yesterday, I went to the work gym during my lunch break and cranked out a painful 6 miles. I felt pretty good until mile 4, then had to walk for half a mile due to horrible side cramps. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with my breathing to induce these cramps but I imagine I need to strengthen my core more. I felt tired but not too terrible after my run so it looks like I might be back in business for training! Next up: 3 one mile intervals on Wed.

Cat Time

Old Drawings

Since I didn't have the energy or time to post about my art class tonight, here are some old drawings I've done that were already scanned and on my computer. The first was a misc girl in a magazine with a strange hairdo. The second is also from a magazine. The last is from a random clipping in a Taiwanese newspaper.