... I've got the magic in me, when I hit the flow the girls come snappin' at me ...

This week I have been experimenting with voodoo magic.

Well, not really. But it kinda feels like it! After going to the pool with a good friend I have been doing my best impression of a molting lobster. I am usually the sunscreen queen, but was ... um-mm ... having to much fun to remember to reapply. McLain and I actually had to postpone a planned trip to go drifting downriver for the sake of my poor skin. One of my dear roommates who is into natural remedies (and had a sunburn the week before) recommended lavender oil. I was scorched enough to buy in to the idea, instead of sticking with my usual Solarcaine route. While I must admit I still peeled, the oil (and frequent reapplication) did help with sensitivity and kept my skin mosturized (I used a bath oil to help 'carry' the straight essential oil). I may smell like a yoga studio, but I sleep WONDERFULLY and my skin is really soft (where it isn't peeling). Your mileage may vary.

In the same vein as voodoo magic - do any readers use local honey to treat seasonal allergies? I was able to get a pint of local honey (as in, running distance from my house local) from my CSA and was wondering if anyone had seen any success with this treatment. Bradford pear trees are the bane of my outdoor existance.

Our CSA share this week had -

• Lettuce - 1 head
• Broccoli - 1 massive head
• Cabbage - 2 medium heads
• Yellow Squash - 2lbs
• Zucchini - 2lbs
• Green Beans - .5lb
• Cucumbers - 4lbs
• Green Onions -1bunch
• Dill - .3lbs
• Tomatoes - 2lbs
• Kale - 8 leaves

Yes, you read that right. FOUR POUNDS OF CUCUMBERS. And as there are only so many G&T's this girl can muddle cucumbers for ... I called up Grandot. It was time to pickle. We ended up with a plain batch of refrigerator pickles, as well as a dill seed and a mustard seed batch. The pint jar contains radishes I am trying to pickle, because we both hate radishes but both love pickles. I still have a TON of cucumbers left over and will be eating them in salad and with hummus.

McLain has this little crinkle cutter tool that slices the pickles all fancy-like. So our pickles are almost as pretty as the ones at the farmer's market. Go team! What else did we have WAY too much of? Dill, ya'll. And what the heck does one do with that much dill? I got inspired and decided to make some gravlax. Although my sweetie cannot eat fish, I figured I could use up the huge mass of dill with this recipe. Thanks, Pinterest!

Zesting the lemon was hard with only this grater, but I made it work.

 I lined an aluminum pan with saran wrap and layered in the dry salt/sugar mixture and salmon. Then I piled on lots and LOTS of fresh dill.

The gravlax has about 10 hours yet to go, but I am very excited to see how it turned out. I will let you know if it bombs or if it rocks! While I was working on pickles and gravlax, McLain made a lovely rice, cabbage, beef and tomato hotpot in the crock-pot. He also made a great venison and bean mixture that will go great in burritos and with rice. It's great dating a man who knows his way around the kitchen. He's threatening to make sauerkraut with the remaining cabbage, which is fine by me. And to try and use up even more of the veggies and things in the fridge, I altered this Pinterest find!

I changed it up by altering the amount of certian veggies and making a carbonara-esqe sauce. My alterations are below -

• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2/3 cup Parmesan
• 3 eggs 
• 16 oz frozen peas
• 16 oz canned mushrooms 
• 1lb whole wheat spaghetti 
• 2lb (ish) squash
• Garlic, thyme, pepper and salt to taste
• 5 1/2 cups water 

 Whisk the milk, Parmesan, and eggs together. Follow the steps listed in the recipe, but when directed to add milk and cheese, gradually add in the egg mixture while stirring. Ta-Da!

In other news - If you are in downtown Greenville, make sure to try Blue Ridge Brewing Company - their brunch is superb and their beer is wonderful. And their fried pickles ... just go and thank me later. I have yet to try something that isn't incredible. And have a Happy Bomb with the in-house stout. You will be glad you did!

And - final note - if you think you're fancy, check out Pretty Little Pursuits and Southern Accents for a chance to win a Tory Burch handbag! I know these two gals from Clemson, and they are much better dressed than I. Hurry on over!

.. it's not just all physical, I'm the type who won't get oh-so-critical ...

Summer vacation = sleeping in, too much sun, two-a-day workouts, and general laziness for at least the first few days. I have been averaging ten to twelve hours a night and it is fantastic. You may not be able to 'make up' for sleep deprivation, but that doesn't mean I won't try!

Summer also means our crop-share portion starts getting out-of-control huge! This past week we got -

•  Kale
• Chard
• Cabbages
• Cauliflower
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini
• Beets
• Carrots
• Turnips
• Cucumbers

Sometimes it is hard to figure out what to do with all those veggies. The squash are easy to saute, as are the carrots. Beets are roasted. Cucumbers are eaten raw with hummus or used in cocktails. But cabbage and turnips are a bit harder to use up. This past week I pureed the turnips and made a odd facsimile of mashed potatoes - although they were a bit spicier tasting than taters would be. I was very confused with what to do with the cabbages, because I typically hate slaw and all things slaw related. The mayo grosses me out. I decided to make this slaw and LOVED it. I actually ate most of it on my own, and will be making it again if we have another cabbage surplus. I did not make the ribs - but that may have to change! And it was so darn pretty to put together. I left out the cilantro, because cilantro tastes like feet to me.

That's three separate types of basil from my thriving container garden.

I just love how purple cabbage looks on the inside.

The yellow squash was all bumpy this week - love it!

We had leftover garlic scapes (which I love) so I decided to try infusing some vinegar. The only bottle we had on hand was this odd little water flask. I will let you know how it turns out in a week or so.

I've also been rockin' new threads from Fabletics lately, and I've been loving it! This review is unsolicited and unpaid - as all of my opinions are. I signed up on a whim, because I had changed sizes and was running out of lounge-wear and active-wear that fit. I also wear two sets of active-wear a day, meaning that I had to do laundry a LOT if I didn't pick up some more. Fabletics works like other clubs in the JustFab family - you join and have to use your voucher for an outfit by a certain date, or it becomes a certificate for a certain dollar amount on a future purchase. The cost is a little bit higher than you could get if you shopped around, but the quality is great! I also like that all of the outfits are fairly cute and on trend. The outfits I've gotten over the past three months are below -

Glissade - back view. This is the Switch Back tee and the Lima capri. I love the tee and use it as a casual top with a bralette. The capri is great for running and kickboxing.

Failli - front view. The Calama crop is great for hot days, and is now a go-to lazy day staple. The Palisades tee is airy, light and drapey. The Sevan sports bra is pretty, but more of a lounge thing than a sports bra, IMHO. I don't run in these items - mostly run errands. And look adorable.

Coda - front view. I think this one is the winner for function and looks so far - the Norwalk tank is perfect for kickboxing and the Salar legging is comfy for waiting on the mechanics to finish up or walking the dog or kickboxing. I have worn it twice this week! The built in bra is sufficient for 'the girls' which is saying something.

Over the three months I found found the service to be great, the clothing to be good quality, and the selction to be nice. The only downsides to Fabletics that I can report are that

• Fabletics bras tend to be better for the less-endowed among us. Moving Comfort bras are still my running buddies!
• Don't dawdle - order early on in the month! I missed out on some pieces because I waited and they don't usually restock.
• The tags on the items are the long skinny ones that I hate. Ugh.

If you are interested, click here for a referral code.

In other news, I may be signing up for this race in the morning ... it's only 25k, so I can make it. Right?

... I’ve traveled all this way for something - I take it in but don’t look down ...

Hello, all!

I took a brief break from writing to pack up my room (and ship off my students) for the summer. My desk got a new coat of bright yellow paint and a curvy waved line detail that turned out rather well. The paterfamilias was very sweet and helped me learn the fine art of spray painting (without causing TOO many streaks). Now kiddos will NEVER confuse my desk for another teacher's desk!

Naturally, I slept like a log on Thursday night and slept in on Friday, but I was not able to resist planning a very full weekend, McLain and I went up for the  Asheville Half Marathon. This was only my second half - and the terrain was very different than my first. The Diva in Myrtle Beach was fun and flat and fast. I had some concerns about the hills on this course! Before we left, McLain did a very daring thing - he gave me a driving lesson. A driving lesson on a hilly road in a stick shift car! While I am still not a pro, I have some good skills and a basic proficiency at starting and shifting and not stalling - mostly.

McLain let me book the hotel for our Asheville excursion, and on my/our budget the Asheville Super 8 was our best option. I am usually a snobby hotel princess, but the limited time frame for booking and limited budget made this our closest option. The Super 8 was a few miles away, making it less than ideal for a bar crawl or girl's night. However, it was clean and in good repair - our non-smoking room was truly non-smoking and the staff was helpful and friendly. A word of warning - the local cops like to camp out in this parking lot to pull over people who are speeding. We saw 6 cops in that parking lot at once!

Packet pick-up was smooth, although we arrived at the expo at almost closing time. I got my bib and goodie bag, but had limited time to peruse the displays. I DID meet a wonderful lady who was representing her mixers! She started SCALES in Charleston a few years ago and the mixers are simply fabulous. She let us try her Sour mix and Bloody Mary mix in some adult beverages and they were out of this world.They are available at WalMart, BiLo, and Ingles.

When we reached the hotel I looked through the goodie bag and we found some interesting fliers for the Asheville area. I also got a bag of rice? Based off of the coupons in the bag, we determined that we should go to the LAB for dinner. All of the brews were in house and the eats were locally sourced. I got the pommes frites and the Hawaiian Andouille Wrap. McLain got the Unlawful Falafel and the hand-cut fries. We split the Brussels and Belly appetizer. I got a 1st Gear Cream Ale. It was all wonderful. And, as in all good watering holes, we meet nice folks and had great conversation. Carbed up and relaxed, I was ready to run!

The half was also a 10K event as well. There were some areas where the courses diverged. The run was a mass start (and started ON TIME). Overall, it was well organized, and well-run. There were some issues with water stations, but they were minor. There we less people cheering than at the Diva, but the scenery was MUCH better and the course was challenging.

My finish was much better than I anticipated (2:07:something - which is a PR for time). I was able to get a quick shower and check out of the Super 8 and made it back to the festival to get an Organic Fuel (tasty!) and a complimentary Sierra Nevada Summerfest.

After, McLain and I walked down to Wicked Weed Brewery and had some lunch. Asheville has no shortage of good eats and drinks - I had a  (ham + salami + cornichon + fig mascarpone) sandwich and McLain got the (beef patty + house kimchi + hoisin bbq + garlic toast) burger. And, THE BEER Y'ALL - I had a Imperial Coolcumber and a XXXIII Rosemary Ginger Saison. The fella got a

Genesis Blonde Sour. They were all delicious. We tried to get a growler fill - but there are some weird NC growler fill laws and we were only able to come home with the XXXII Prickly Pear Saison. We had to leave the Sangria Blanc behind.

I had earned a sweet treat - in my mind at least! We stopped by French Broad Chocolate Lounge, which I could spend a day and a small fortune in. I love chocolate so much - but I limited myself to just a hot cocoa today - a ganache based drinking chocolate with maple & smoked sea salt. SO GOOD.

This was McLain's first Asheville trip - but I think we will be back! If not the two of us, I may make excuses just to go back there for the eats. I loved going to Lindy Focus years back, so this wasn't my first rodeo - but Asheville is worth the odd roads and awkward pedestrians. Just be prepared to pay for parking!

Stay tuned for a Fabletics Review!

... he's lost in the wilderness, he's lost in bitterness ...

While I have a penchant for the light and fluffy, and I do want you to know about my lovely ladies’ morning out (which involved an Elvis + egg from Sully's, my first ever anthropologie purchase, and my favorite coffee shop), I have gotten a derailed by some HUGE news and the controversy attached to it. 

The violence in California caused by Elliot Rodger has been discussed on every social media site, and has taken over most mass media outlets over the past few days.  Women and men were killed in this horrible event, though women were clearly the target of the attacker’s initial rage. Elliot rails against women for turning down his advances in favor of those of other men in his excessively long manifesto/bio (which I have not read much of, as it made me want to vomit) and his YouTube videos. Notably, the gunman was also outraged about how his ‘rules’ from the Pick Up Artists did not help him achieve his ultimate goal – to get to have sex with a women who met a certain appearance standard. The woman herself appeared to be immaterial – as long as she was a 7 on the attractiveness scale.

The MRA and the PUA communities have at least two reactions to this event that made my blood BOIL. The second article explicitly states the following – 

• “more people will die unless you give men sexual options”
• “game is a tiny release valve on a cultural pressure cooker where meaningful relationships have become sick, fractured, and unfulfilling [sic] compared to the time of our grandparents when traditional sex roles existed”
• “game may not have led Rodger to find his dream girl and live happily ever after, but it would have given enough results to stop him from killing six innocent individuals and himself"
• “until you allow and encourage all men to get sex by some means, these massacres will be more commonplace”.

So, women withholding sex from males they do not wish to have sex with makes them culpable for massacres? And having sex with those they want to have sex with makes them a slut? I had no idea my sex organs were so powerful – granted, that’s if I rate highly enough to be considered a desirable partner.

Then there are those who completely blame the fact that Elliot was able to get guns. While yes, the guns were a huge part of the equation, Elliot also stabbed three victims to death and injured many victims with his car. Elliot was mentally ill (and possibly also had ASD, but more on that later). He bought guns, lied to police, and spent the time to type up a 141 page document. He was able to mask his mental illness to the point at which he appeared sane for long enough to complete all these things. I don’t think that the right to purchase and carry guns is the key issue at play here, although it is an easy scapegoat.

Asperger syndrome can make understanding other people as individual beings hard, and can cause some rule-setting and script following behaviors as well. Obsessive thoughts can also be an issue. Elliot’s ASD could have made this situation worse. He followed the rules (PUA) and did not get what he wanted after trying for years to get results on his own. His disassociation was mentioned before the ASD info broke (some commenters on Fox News were speculating if the gunman was interested in porn, and this lead to his disassociation). He ended up hating the PUA movement AND women, making him at odds with women who would not sleep with him and all the men who were able to sleep with said women. Some reactions on twitter related to ASD and the shooting can be found here. I am concerned that with the prevalence of autism/ASD and the very public link with this incident that there could be some mistreatment of children and young adults that struggle with ASD related disorders. The connection between ASD/Lanza/Rodger is something I am looking into, because it is interesting and terrifying that ASD may be misused to explain away these incidents.

Elliot had some interesting internet searches and accounts – which showed that he was simultaneously seeking treatment from therapists and counselors and then refusing to follow their advice. He would seek out the feedback and advice from PUA and Anti-PUA websites instead.

In the wake of the spree, the #YesALLWomen twitter movement boomed, which was quickly followed by the #NotALLMen rebuttal. I have tweeted, and will continue to tweet, instances that show women – all women – have to deal with entitlement of men to their bodies, lives, and sex. I feel like the #NotALLMen movement shows another side of the same coin – women are raised with fear and experience things that cause us to act in a certain way towards men. Men don’t feel like they deserve that treatment, especially when they haven’t done any ‘wrong’. With the culture and precedents that are being set, is it any surprise that this issue is divisive?  Feminism is important. Equality is imperative. These actions – stemming from one man’s mental struggle and entitlement - may have opened up a discussion that could lead to change for our society if we are willing to struggle through some of the implications. As Petula Dvorak says much more eloquently than I can “The unfiltered misogyny of Elliot Rodger is extreme, but it’s an indicator of the hatred that remains a stubborn part of our society’s fabric. No, #NotAllMen are like Elliot Rodger. But #YesAllWomen reveal the little pieces of him we encounter every single day.”

... we ain't leavin' this room 'til someone needs medical help or the magnolias bloom ...

Things have been interesting the first part of the long weekend. I have thoroughly been enjoying the extra free time, but haven’t been resting up as much as I perhaps should have. My sweet Great Dane has been keeping me company over the past week, when I am at the house he shadows my every step and does little ‘patrols’ to check the perimeter. He is usually a sweet, well behaved dog … but more on that later.

Saturday was interesting for several reasons – the first being that I won an award in a race. It wasn’t a participation medal, either! I, by some fluke, place first in my age group in the ColorFest run in Seneca. It was a small event, and I was thoroughly shocked. My time wasn’t even as good as I had wanted, but much improved over the time I had on the same course last year. As 5Ks go, this one is small and fun. The ‘color’ aspect isn’t as dramatic or as outrageous as the official ‘Color Run’ races, but the upside is that this race does give you a time and is a full 5K (the one in Clemson this year was a bit short). A friend of mine and her mother also ran in the 5K. It was the mom's first ever! She did very well. After the run, I went to 9R and cleaned up for the evening. 

Attending a high school commencement is at times exciting and at times quite tedious. Every class is convinced that they are the most important class in the history of the school. Each student speaker has a combination of naive and meaningful comments to make on the forward passage of time. And each student is headed off into the future – excited, scared, energized, and hopeful. It’s bittersweet and exhausting. But again, that could’ve been my shoes, which earned me a bit of an unfortunate nickname.

Dress - ModCloth Stylish Surprise (out of stock)

Shoes - Target (out of stock - similar)

This morning I tried a new running route (more hills than I was anticipating, slower than I was anticipating, hotter than I was anticipating). It looped through the local Christian collage that I attended for dual credit during high school. It was odd to be back for the first time in years. The buildings are more modern, perhaps due to expanding their programs and having more donors.  It’s easy to forget about having two colleges in the same town when one is so much larger than the other.

I took the dog for a day at the lake with one of my friends and one of his doggie pals. Some discoveries were made, including that Yankee likes trail running, the fence around the beach does not enclose the beach fully, trail running barefoot in a bikini is hard, dogs don’t understand traffic, and that THIS dog is never allowed off lead for any reason. Yankee is fine. My knees (and dignity) are a bit scuffed up.  

One thing about having a Dane is that everyone always wants to pet them, ask how much they eat, tell you that they are huge … etc. Once Yankee was recaptured, many friends were made and he was much admired. My pet peeve about this is that sometimes people don’t ASK first. I know it’s hard to resist this face – but for the love of Pete! Remember your doggie manners, guys.

Random recipe I attempted, via RunEatRepeat. Not bad! I subbed in a ‘lighter’ hummus mixed with Greek yogurt I found in Ingles. 

Random podcast to listen to – Welcome to Night Vale! Guys, I am addicted. Go! Go now! Listen and be amazed!

Happy Towel Day!!

… clap along if you feel like a room without a roof …

It's been awhile! I feel like my little blog needed a bit of a facelift - let me know what you think!

 

Earlier this spring, I decided to challenge my classes to join the 100happydays challenge. I was doing a unit that was discussing burn-out, motivation, and stress management. I thought it would be a good way to get them started and joined as an example and to spur them onward. And, you know, bonding and fun and community!

100 Happy Days

I think I was the only one who actually finished. Granted - I cheated sometimes (it is supposed to be a photo a day – some days I didn’t have a good photo to post and posted a list), I was late occasionally (if it was over 24hrs between postings, I figured that the thought was what mattered) and I had tech issues (it’s hard to post from no-battery devices).

My students all noted that it was hard for them to find things to be happy about every day, and that there was so much pressure. Others commented that the only things that made them happy weren’t things they could show me pictures of.

Fair enough, I suppose. 

For my part, there were days that it was hard to find things to be happy about. Like the day I wrecked both rims on the right side of my car and got two flats, or the day my roommates lost my cat (who thankfully came back), or the days that just nothing seemed right. I was stressed at work. I had bad hair days, bad body days, bad mood days, days I cried a LOT. Those days, I had to work for my joy. I had to actively LOOK for things to be happy about. I was work. Sometimes it was tedious.

The first few days, it seemed a little wrong to LOOK for things that made me happy. I was told as a child that it was something that sprung from goodness, that it was a ‘spiritual gift’. But the more I looked for joy – for happy – the more I seemed to find. In small things, quiet moments, and little breaths of air in my world that were sweet and full of promise for more good things to come.

I also noticed some patterns forming in my behaviors and choices that lead me to be happier – almost without thinking about it. 

 

• I started choosing to be happy with my mini-successes, instead of pushing for huge ones. The maybe-one-day PhD is not the only goal worth relishing or celebrating! 
•  I chose to be more honest with myself and others – which is hard for people-pleasing me! Sometimes, the honest truth can make things simple, sometimes it is hard, and sometimes it means asking for help. But I never noticed it making me unhappier overall.
• I chose to accept others where they were. Comparison is not healthy for good relationships – I try to compare people to earlier versions of themselves, and me to an earlier version of myself if I need to compare people at all.
•  I chose to start the day on my own terms – when I wanted, how I wanted. Granted, this means my mornings are early to get in my much needed run and my commute – but it is a choice that honors my body and makes me happier overall. I helped when I could and did what I could for others. 
•  I chose to linger in the things that were beautiful or worthwhile or that made me feel more bliss. I took the time to enjoy the things I loved when I stumbled across them. I bought the good coffee, got the nice prosecco, and savored the dark chocolate I really wanted. And I settled in to really, truly, enjoy it.
• Maybe the hardest lesson in the journey so far was letting go of things. I have a hard time with letting things go in general. I like to know the whys and the mechanics and the dynamics and figure out the exact reason a thing happened and sometimes … it just isn’t there. There is no explanation. It is a THING. And … it’s just there. And sometimes you need to be ok with that, even though it is hard to be. There is no point in staying up late just because someone on the internet is WRONG.

It is important to note that I did this for myself and not for the web's enjoyment. There were days I actually felt a little bashful about my photo posts, or felt annoying, or kind of oddly braggy. The spirit in which I posted, however, was always a happy spirit – not a ‘look at me’ one. As the start site says – if you’re doing this to show off or for other people’s approval, you automatically ‘lose’.

So – did the challenge meet the claims it made?

• YES – I started noticing what made me happy every day.
• Overall, YES – I did feel like I was in a better mood every day. 
• I didn’t particularly track compliments, but I took them with more grace! 
• Overall, I did realize how lucky I was to have the life I have.
• Yes, I was more optimistic overall!
• As for falling in love – I think I fell more deeply in love with the all the tiny, huge, abundant wonderful things and people I already loved – and found a few more.

Is the challenge worth it? That’s for you to decide. But I’m hoping to continue searching for happiness, and choosing an attitude of happiness, for many days to come!

Some scientifically backed happiness boosters via Huffpost