Helena Handbasket: September 2009

Rant: Things I'm Sick of Hearing About

F@%* Roman Polanski. He drugged, raped, and sodomized a 13-year-old. Period. It wasn't consensual, it wasn't statutory, it was RAPE. And because he's famous, made a few movies, and has a shitload of celebrity support... all that is supposed to make it all go away? GTFO. Polanski has a daughter. God forbid but if anything even remotely close to the disgusting things he did to Samantha Gailey, happened to her?! I'd like to see how sympathetic and forgiving he would be.

Psssssst... Khloe Kardashain and Lamar Odom... no one cares. Get married and STFU already.

Jon Gosselin is a douchebag. His (soon-to-be-ex) wife Kate is a douchebaguette. I feel sorry for their kids who have been thrust into the spotlight by their greedy, star-struck, attention-whore parents. Cancel the show already and give your goddamn kids a somewhat normal life while you still have a chance.

Later,
Rantorious K.

Your Momma's So Clumsy...

I almost bought the farm as I walked to my car this morning. I don’t know if I missed a step or if the heel of my pumps got caught in my pants leg – all I remember is panicking and fighting for my life to stay upright as I nose-dived off of the steps of my building.

Deanna was already at the bottom of the stairs and must have heard the first deadly misstep; she turned around as I was careening towards her, bags flying every which way. She said I was yelling “Whoa… whoa… WHOA… WHOA!!!!!” but I don’t remember any of that. The only thing I recall was frantically thinking, “If you start running, you won’t fall” so I began to move my legs quickly, desperately flailing my arms to keep my balance. Deanna opened her arms to catch me and I flew into her embrace. We both started laughing – first hesitantly, then uncontrollably. I squeezed her harder, ever so grateful for saving me from facial road rash. I turned around and observed the crime scene:

I don’t know if I threw my stuff every which way on purpose or if everything just fell from my grasp as I took the unplanned leap of faith.

I hope your day got off to a better start. I’m laughing as I type this so this experience really wasn’t all that bad. Deanna was still crying with laughter when I dropped her off at school.

Your clumsy pal,
Notorious K.

Sin Nombre

Sin Nombre which means "without a name" is a powerful film; well-acted and beautifully shot. It tells the story of Sayra, a Honduran girl, who sets off on a long and dangerous journey to America with her father and brother. Along the way, she meets Casper, a.k.a. Willy, who is fleeing a violent past with the Mexican gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). Sayra and Willy form a close bond during their mutual quest for salvation as they travel through the Mexican countryside with desperate dreams of starting over. Though brutal and dark, there is also beauty and hope captured in this film. Three stars!

Happy Monday,
Notorious K.

Caramel Apple Bars

My co-worker brought me a caramel apple bar and it is absolutely delicious. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and the apples are still crisp. Got an idea for a new cupcake, too. Thanks Lisa!

Happy Wednesday!
Notorious K.

18-Mile Redemption

Today, I ran strong and took in the beauty of the DMV as we made our way from Bethesda to Old Town. My legs started to feel the fatigue at around Mile 14 but I pushed and finished strong. There was a 12-block walk to the metro which seemed daunting at first but it actually helped speed up my recovery. Usually, I have to climb out of my car, wincing in discomfort. Today, I hopped out with a smile on my face. I felt refreshed, accomplished, and rejuvenated. This long run totally made up for my nightmarish six-miler on Friday.

One more long run (20-miler) on October 4... then we start to taper for the marathon.

Hoping your Sunday is happy,
Notorious K.

VA Wine Fest

Compared to Linganore, the Virginia Wine Festival just didn't measure up. Don't get me wrong, it's a great event and showcases a wide variety of local wines, but for me it lacked the energy and fun I experienced at Linganore. I'm glad I went though - it was a beautiful day.

Falcore?

Remember Falcore from Neverending Story?

I've come to the conclusion that Roach favors him:

As does Nicole's dog, Kiwi (pic courtesy of Nicole *still laughing*):

Apparently, Victoria "Posh" Beckham does, too:

Cheers,
Notorious K.

18 Miler

About a month left until Marine Corps. Two more looooooooong runs to go (18-20 miles). We officially start tapering on October 11, yipee!!!

I have a feeling the Metro ride back to my car will be the most grueling part of this run.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Notorious K.

Woke up this Mawnin' - Got Myself a Bad Run

Dear Running,

F*** you!

Sincerely,
Me

Food Formerly Known As "Yuck."

I hated meatloaf as a kid - with a passion. To this day, the word "meatloaf" still turns me off. Think about it... meat that's molded into a loaf? BLEH! Anyway, a while back, my dad's wife made it for us and it was absolutely delicious. I had a change of heart about the molded meat and realized: it's all about the seasoning baby!

I made a *cringe* meatloaf tonight using a mixture of lean ground turkey & lean ground beef, a pack of dry onion soup mix, additional raw onion (also formerly known as yuck), fresh garlic, oatmeal for filler (adds fiber), egg whites, worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. For the "glaze" I used a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce, ketchup, and a tiny bit of brown sugar.

Yum-o.

Be Nice to Me. I Gave Blood Today.

The Red Cross comes to my job a few times a year and I try to donate whenever they're in town. I always chuckle at the outrageous eligibility questions they but I know they are necessary.

Are you feeling well today? You bet!

Have you ever had leishmaniasis? God Bless You?

Have you ever had unprotected sex with a malaria-infected orangutan prostitute while traveling through the Congo after a six-month prison stint in Alcatraz? Uhhh, negative, Ghostrider!!

Oh look, a gross pink bandage.

The Red Cross technicians are always a trip to hang out with for the hour. They are forever on joke time and could care less about being professional, which really doesn't bother me. They have a tough job and if that's how they blow off steam or get through the day, so be it. Today, they were blasting Usher's Trading Places and singing all of the "important" parts at the top of their lungs. It was juuuuuust a tad bit awkward but I was laughin':

I’m always on the top tonight I’m on the bottom
Cuz we're trading places
When I cant take no more, tell me you 'aint stopping
Cuz we're trading places

Now put it on me baby till I say Ooo-weeee
And tell me to shut up before the neighbors hear me
This is how it feels when you do it like me
We're trading places

And then I kind of zoned out because I really started listening to the song and what little blood I had left in me went straight to my ... Hmmm... I'm really missing my boyfriend right about now.

Parks Half Marathon

Not exactly thrilled with my completion time of 2:14 but I had a lot of fun with this race! The marathon training coaches gave me strict instructions not to run Parks at my regular race pace (which isn't fast by most standards but anything faster than a brisk walk is fast for me) - Marine Corps is next month and to become injured after five months of training would be devastating; however it's oh so very hard not to "race" during a race, especially when I completed my first 1/2 in 2:06 back in May. HUGE thanks to Insana for showing up and taking pics of the event!

*Built NY Gourmet Getaway Tote

So I bought a new lunch tote that's made out of neoprene, same material they use for wetsuits. It's supposed to keep my food cold or warm for up to four hours. We'll see if it lives up to the hype (it betta ... this joint cost around $25).

I f****** hate most things that are pink but made an exception this time since it wasn't the dominant color. The tote is very roomy and holds a lot. Is it just me or does this pic remind you of a big, gaping vagina with teeth?

Yeah. Maybe it's just me.

*Purchased from GetN'Green; super-fast shipping and very helpful customer service (used a 15% off online coupon, too - woo hoo!)

Scarlet O'Runner

Earlier today, I picked up my race packet for the Parks Half Marathon. The Brooks technical shirt they gave us is great quality and I love the bright red color. I should have gotten an XS though - it's way too big (probably men's sizing). I think those are duck foot prints on the arm but your guess is as good as mine. Gun goes off at 7 a.m. sharp tomorrow. Around 2,300 runners are participating in this race - should be a blast.

Roach's Talons

Roach needs his nails trimmed about once a month. I shelled out almost $80 for this drill because regular clippers don't work on his thick nails, which rival the strength and density of steel bolts.

See how long these bad boys can get? I knew it was time to sand them down because when he jumped on me the other day while we were playing, he drew blood.

I have to muzzle him when I file his nails because his fear aggression gets the best of him and he tries to bite the drill.

Blown.

I think he must run through a gamut of doggie emotions when the loathsome deed is done and the muzzle comes off. Usually, he'll take off and will run laps around the apartment, celebrating his emancipation. Today, he kept his hostility to a minimum but notice how he keeps the dormant drill in his peripheral vision (click on pic to watch vid):

Happy Birthday Deanna!

I offered to fix a big birthday dinner for Deanna but she requested "curry chicken (Indian style) and basmati rice" - two things I am capable of cooking but since it was such a special occasion, I decided to leave it to the experts. We attempted to eat at Bombay Bistro but alas, they have not yet made a full recovery from a recent fire so we turned the corner and found ourselves at Spice Xing - a very good restaurant we visited a few months ago when my parents were visiting from CA.

The decor and ambiance of Spice Xing is modern, colorful, and elegant without being too formal.

The cabernet was quite good.

For an appetizer, we shared a chicken kathi roll which was amazing; it had just the right amount of heat and was full of flavor.

Deanna ordered malbari chicken and it was to die for - I'm getting this entree next time.

The sauce was rich and creamy and served as the perfect dipping sauce for our garlic naan.

I opted for the classic tandoori chicken which was excellent; the rice was light and fluffy and the meat was seasoned perfectly.

After our sensational dinner, we checked out the live music in Rockville Towncenter. People were dancing and eating outside *sigh* Oh how I will miss summer.

Fashionista Deanna wanted to explore Cloud 9 Clothing, an adorable boutique that sells hippie chic-type clothing for women.

I almost bought this $12.00 headband but when I tried it on in the store, it made my forehead morph into a small region that required its own zip code so I quickly hung it back on the rack.

A birthday isn't complete without ice cream cake! After we got home, I surprised Deanna with a slice of Carvel's strawberry shortcake ice cream roll.

Happy Sweet 16, Deanna!

To be continued...

Blogs I Follow

Blogging is contagious. These authors keep me entertained and inspired.

Bronze Closet: Deanna's blog! I give her a hard time because she has one post from May but expect more updates from this sizzlin' sixteen-year-old. She's got a passion for fashion and hopes to pursue a professional career in the industry one day.

They Hate Me Because I Ask The Hard Questions: Will is a seasoned vet and has been blogging since 2004! Follow his adventures in Germany now - he has some cool videos and pictures posted and updates frequently. His vintage stuff isn't too shabby, either.

Nicole's Blog: Nicole is one of my favorite free spirits and is hilarious! She inspired me to start [actively] blogging again.

Lady Dreamcatcher: Lady D presents interesting insight on her blog. She is a calming presence in my blogging world and shares a lot of thought-provoking sentiments.

Incoherent Realism: This charismatic and articulate ex-MySpace blogger has graduated to the distinguished Blogger Realm. Check out his light-hearted and humorous anecdotes.

Paige Seven: One of my homegirls started a new blog! She has several so check them out here. This multi-talented woman is an aspiring photographer, real estate agent and loan officer, technical writer (need a resume makeover? she's your gal), and more importantly, one of my besties.

Jeffrey Wright's Love Interest: Ms. McFly is an amazing actress, dancer, singer, and one of the sweetest people I know. She's also the Incoherent Realist's baby sis.

Schultz Reflects: Ahem! Mr. Schultz... we demand more blogging because we know you'd keep us entertained and enlightened. How dare you tease us with one post?

Angry Asian Man: This is the only blogger I don't know personally but he dishes out a lot of interesting news and opinion involving Asian Americans. Don't be scared, he's not really angry.

Sweet 16

Labor Day: Listless and Nightmarish

Yesterday was probably the laziest day I've had in 2009. I watched some movies, attempted to watch daytime TV (what a waste), and read. I even managed to squeeze in a nap only two hours after I got up! I considered going out for a walk or bike ride at several points throughout the day but never made it off the couch. I kind of regret not doing some sort of activity because I had the most horrible time sleeping last night; I had strange dreams and one heck of a nightmare.

Dream One: I was driving south on 270 and it was dark out; there were a lot of cars on the road and everyone seemed to be traveling at a brisk pace. Suddenly, a car zoomed past me and I helplessly watched it swerve across four lanes of traffic and hit the jersey wall on the right side of the highway. The impact of the crash catapulted the car back across 270 to the northbound lanes, causing numerous accidents to occur in the process; finally, it slammed into a ravine and havoc ensued. In my mind as I dreamt, the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and caused the fatal course of events. By this time, I had pulled my car over and was sitting in the middle of 270, watching everything in sheer horror. I woke up highly agitated and had an overwhelming feeling of despair and sadness.

Analysis: Those *$%@*&^ Final Destination movies I recently watched probably provoked this dream. This nightmare is a warning that I should slow down on my way to work; the kids are back in school and they don't always pay attention to the pedestrian walk signals. Plus, I need to lighten up on the lead foot in general.

Dream Two: I was running a marathon and the course mysteriously began to fall apart, with the running area becoming, well, un-runnable and discombobulated. I was exasperated in this dream and kept exclaiming to anyone that would listen "I only have 10.5 more miles to go!"

Analysis: My marathon is next month and the anxiety is building. I need to be careful with my thoughts about this event and stay positive through the rest of the training. I WILL make it to the starting line healthy, happy, and ready for the challenge.

Dream Three: I was a vampire and spent the entire dream applying makeup for a party I was headed to. I kept looking in the mirror, perfecting and admiring my work. I was pale, sinister, and beautiful, all the while being terrified of myself.

Analysis: I gotta stop obsessing over True Blood (but it's so much fun!)

Kentlands 5K

Here are a few pics from the Kentlands 5K race I ran on Saturday (thanks to D-Nice for taking them). I ran this race in 2008 as my very first 5K. I finished the 3.1 miles in 27:03 - only 42 seconds faster than last year but that's ok, I was doing it more for sentimental reasons.

This race has traditionally been a family event so there were lots of kids on the course, running with their parents. There was a lot of fun for everyone!

I gotta give props to the Seneca Valley High School pom squad! They were cheering runners on the entire time and their support was definitely appreciated.

Let's goooooooo, Seneca!!

Here is a pic my co-worker took at the finish. Too bad my eyes were closed.

I'm a Ninja. That's Why You Can't See Me.

Bloggarrhea

blog⋅gar⋅rhea
-noun
1. an e-blogger disorder characterized by abnormal frequency and fluidity of blog evacuations.

Apparently, I have bloggarrhea today. I could think of worse things to have. Carry on!

7935 Oakwood Road

My sister took a picture of our childhood home last weekend. It was a great house! It's nice to see there are still lots of trees in the backyard.

Zit Gummies

Saw these at Dollar Tree. Can you imagine how the product development meetings went for this candy?

Word of the Day: narcissism

nar⋅cis⋅sism
–noun
1. inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.

I thought my blog was borderline narcissistic but one of my besties told me this morning "...it's bad in excess, obviously, but you are at the opposite end of the vanity spectrum, so you can afford to get closer to the median."

Permission to be more narcissistic? Thank you, don't mind if I do.

Calling All Photographers, Videographers, Bloggers, & Tweeters!

Thank you, Mr. McClyde for sharing this info! Sign up people - this is a great opportunity.

Be a Green Festival™ Media Volunteer: Photo, Video, Blog, and Twitter!

As a member of our amazing volunteer team at Green Festival™, a joint project of Global Exchange and Green America, you are an essential part of the nation's leading sustainability event educating and activating people to make choices for a just and sustainable world. The mission of the Volunteer Media Team is to document the spirit of Green Festival and share it with the world. We are collecting video, photos, blogs, and tweets as a community-sharing project to spread Green Festivals. We will showcase the best media on the GreenFestivals.org website, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, etc., providing you with great exposure as a Green Media leader.

Registration is now open for the San Francisco and Washington DC Festivals.

Benefits:

Free admission to the festival for both days
Free, limited edition, organic and sweatshop-free Green Festival™ T-shirt
Your media and credits on the GreenFestivals.org website
Great experience for your resume
10% discount coupon for the Global Exchange Store, and optional free one-year Green America and/or Global Exchange membership (new members only)

General Requirements:

Morning check-in and 15 minute orientation on 1 festival day. Check with the Media Team coordinator for exact time and location.
Bring your own equipment: cameras, mobile devices, etc. See Media Team descriptions below for details.
Ability to work self-directed.

Media Teams Descriptions:

Examples of previous Media Volunteer work:

Photography -

Videography -

Media Team Descriptions

Photography Team

Description: Roam around the Green Festival take photos on a theme of your choice! After the festival, sort your best-of and upload them to Flickr for the world to see. Your goal is to collect 20-50 high quality final shots that capture the spirit of Green Festival.

Requirements

Must choose a theme for photographs. Suggested themes are listed below for reference.
Must bring your own digital camera and spare batteries. More professional cameras are better in indoor light situations, but any digital camera will do. A tripod and flash are useful for avoiding blurry or grainy shots.
Must have a Flickr.com (Yahoo) account to upload final photos. Final Delivery
Upload ‘best-of’ photos to Flickr.com, adding them the appropriate Green Festival Regional Group. Find a links to all regional Flickr Groups here: http://www.greenfestivals.org/photos/
Upload only your favorite and best quality 20-50 pictures. We recommend taking many photos and editing down to a ‘best-of’ set. - Upload the largest size/resolution you can, ideally 1024 pixels or larger.
For all photos, set Copyright setting to: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Creative Commons. This means that people can repurpose your photo for non-commercial means, but they must attribute you (give you credits) and they must also allow people to share their derivative work. Learn more about this Creative Commons copyright at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Final photos are due within 1 week following the festival. Our Flickr Group administrator will be notified when you upload the new photos.

Suggested Photo Themes

Speaker Close-ups: Volunteers with telephoto lenses for their cameras are encouraged to capture close-up shots of speakers at the event.
Exhibitor Booth Photos: Ideal to capture with the owners/employees and the logo of the booths in each shot.
Candid Photos: Candid shots of attendees, overview shots of the crowd, candid photos of the Movement Room, Green Kids Zone, and anywhere else in the event that is visually inspiring to you.
Crowd Shots: Capturing the bustling crowds gathered at the festival.

Videography Team

Description: Your goal is to create a short video that captures an aspect of the Green Festival that inspires you. Choose a theme (i.e. green buildings, kids, food, etc.) and film enough media to be able to easily edited into a final 3-5 minute piece.

Final Delivery: When completed, upload to YouTube and e-mail Michelle ( michelle@greenfestivals.org) the URL to your video. It will then be added to the Green Festivals channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/greenfestivals

For examples of prior volunteer special videos, check out: http://www.greenfestivals.org/volunteer-videos/

Suggested Video Themes

Speaker Videos: Volunteers with tripods for their cameras can capture segments from speakers.
Exhibitor Interview: Get interviews with business owners, asking how their Green Festival experience is going.
Candid Interview: Candid interviews with attendees, overview shots of the crowd; anywhere else in the event that is visually inspiring to you.

Twitter Team (new!)

Description: Your goal is to make at least 25 meaningful tweets on site throughout the event weekend, using the hashtag #greenfest. We aggregate all Tweets with #greenfest hashtag live on the Green Festival website at http://www.greenfestivals.org/twitter/ High quality tweets we will ‘retweet’ to our 3,000+ followers.

Content Ideas:

Speaker quotes/summaries (i.e. “Amy Goodman speaking: What we need is a media of decent. #greenfest”)
Happenings (i.e. “there’s a parade happening at the front of the festival! #greenfest” or “Amy Goodman’s signing books at the bookstore right now. #greenfest”)
Exhibitor highlights (i.e. “you gotta try the vegan sausages at the food court #greenfest”)
Your personal experience and reflections (i.e. “the compost sorters are so helpful #greenfest”)
Tweetpics (i.e. “Check out this photo of the Green Festival crowds (link to a photo) #greenfest”)

Blogger Team (new!)

Attend Green Festival as a Citizen Journalist! Take notes and photos of your experience, construct a story, and write a high quality blog post when you get home. Exceptional blog posts will be promoted by Green Festival social media and website. Sample topics include:

Requirements: You must have your own blog. If you are just getting started, we recommend Wordpress, Blogger, or Typepad.

Final Delivery: Final blog posts are due within 1 week following the festival. We expect at least 3 paragraphs and 1 image minimum. E-mail the link to mediateam@greenfestivals.org.

Content Ideas:

speaker review
festival greening
local focus (Green Festival subjects in context of the event city)
exhibitor highlights
overall experience and reflections

Examples blog posts:

Just An Ordinary Wednesday

After a busy day at work, I rushed home and changed into my running gear so I could take advantage of the perfect weather we've been having.

I've been working on my arms for a few weeks and have noticed a slight difference - they are becoming more toned and I'm happy with the results. Those pull-ups and dips are worth the agony. I'm trying to be like Michelle Obama - she has an ideal physique in my opinion.

By the way, I am loving my new Mizuno's. Money well-spent.

Instead of joining my running club at Montgomery College, I opted to head up the road to Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) and use their track. I got to the school and saw Deanna and the rest of the varsity cheer leaders practicing.

Since they were using part of the track, I didn't want to get in the way so I decided to mosey on over to Northwest High School, SVHS's arch rival!

Northwest's track is beeeeeautiful (don't tell Deanna I said that).

I did my speed workout and felt refreshed afterwards but was starving as usual.

My sister turned me on to Al Fresco's jalapeno chicken sausage (found them at Shopper's). They are so versatile and absolutely delicious; I eat them with cheese and crackers, as breakfast sausage, and tonight, I paired them with some fancy-pants handmade roasted garlic and parsley linguini I found in the gourmet food section.

I tossed the pasta with olive oil, mixed in some some freshly grated parmesan/asiago/romano/reggiano cheese, and went to town.

I'm especially proud of the salad I made: mixed greens with cranberry-cinnamon goat cheese, red onion, pecans, and raspberry vinaigrette.

Time to curl up with a good book. Goodnight!

Helena Handbasket