It's a Pancake!

Made of eggs and oats!

I know, weird right?

But delicious!!

I was given this recipe by my fab friend Kristin, who found it online here.

I haven't tried it with the banana or pumpkin, but Kristin prepares it that way all the time and says it's yummy. I'm just glad to have found another use for the applesauce I love to make!

It's really impressive... You know it's just oats and egg whites... but it becomes a pancake! It's like magic! Delicious, delicious magic. Plus it's hearty and keeps the hunger at bay for a good while.

Highly recommended!

OMG, it's nearly May!

And I have no idea what to choose!  I feel like it should be running-related, since I have a mere 6 weeks until my half-marathon debut... but BO-ring.  Maybe another UFO month would be helpful.  (I have this very sad story about how I folded up and priced a TON of my many fabrics to donate for the annual Textiles Center garage sale, only to discover that I hadn't written down the donation date, but the date of the actual SALE.  Needless to say, I still have all of that fabric. *sigh*)

I've been in kind of a cross-stitching mood lately, so I've made some headway on a piece (for me!) that I think I would like to enter into the State Fair this year!  So then I would have a plan 'b' when my photo is inevitably rejected from the art building.  Plus it would be done!

There are also suddenly many people in my life expecting children, so there are a ton of creative options there... but maybe a bit closer to the due dates.

So many options!

5 more miles.

..I was hoping to do six today, but I think 5 was a good choice. (by the last mile and a half I was definitely feeling specific muscles in my legs. It was not cool.)

What a gorgeous day! If weather like this would stick around, I don't think I would have any problems getting my runs in. I took a route along Summit avenue again today. Started at the Cathedral, and then ran by a TON of churches along the way. Got to see a bunch of people in their Easter Best, which was really fun.

Tonight I'll be attending my first "Hoopla" at Lake Harriet. I made my very own Hula Hoop last night, and I look forward to being able to keep it off the ground for more than 5 seconds at a time. :)

Hoop It Up!

So tonight I made a hula hoop!

Apparently, the hoop arts are making a pretty strong comeback. In addition, it would seem that going out and buying a hoop from your local store is NOT recommended if you're a grown-up. Bigger folk require bigger hoops! It makes sense, right?

Finding the "correct" irrigation tubing was a bit of a challenge... I went to two Menard's and a Lowe's... and actually I went to one of the Menard's twice... However, the actual making of the hoop was not too hard! I followed he tutorial here.

My only regret is that I didn't have a bunch of cool tapes to decorate with.

But it's just my first hoop! I plan on making one for my mom, and a weighted "fitness" hoop which somehow involves water... I think it will be fun!

Summit! Summit!

So I work for this fine children's theatre. Occasionally, for about a week and a half at a stretch, I am at tech rehearsals nightly. This is often my opportunity to complain about losing sleep and having to sit in the dark (on the internet) for hours at a time.

No more.

Tonight was my inaugural Tech Run... I show up an hour early in my running gear, suit up and run along Summit Avenue. It's a mere block away, and conveniently has stop lights every half-mile.

Tonight I was taking it easy, since it's only my second run since I've been recuperated from my injury... I was only going to go two miles -- but I hit mile 1 and thought, "hey, I can totally see the next light! I can get there!" So just like that, I got another half mile on my out -- leaving me with a full 3 mile run today.

This is very good, because as I might have mentioned -- I am less than 2 months away from my first half-marathon... and an extra half mile of effort will not get me 13.1 miles.

It was an enjoyable run full of people and dogs and I can't wait for the next one!

W.T.H.

That is all.

Winter returns with a Vengeance

Okay, so I haven"t been biking. First, the weather has been uber-gross. Second, I've had a lot going on! A couple of production meetings, plus prepping for the biggest job interviews of my life (thus far) and to cap it off -- Trivia!

AND it snowed last night.

Snow.

Gross.

But fear not... It's just a mid-month slip. One day the sun will return, and I will ride my lovely again.

Speaking of which, I need to come up for a name for my glorious steed.

Nice Weather Brings Everyone Out

Short post today, mainly to share that on my short outdoor jaunt today I saw a man walking his monkey around Como Lake.

And not a teeny, cute monkey like in Raiders of the Lost Ark... This one was e size of a toddler.

Also, it didn't really want to walk, so he was carrying it a lot.

A monkey.

Nice weather is a powerful thing.

Hills.

Wow. Arlington hill is way fun to go down.

Not at all fun to come back up.

Also, is there EVER a time when it's not ridiculously busy at the Rice Street post office? I mean, seriously. The line was out BOTH sets of doors. It sucks to wait in line for mail that you don't even want.

But the weather is lovely, and I'm wearing my KEEN sandals and one of my summer dresses!

I hear rumors of snow on Friday, but I will close my ears to them.

Off to the market...

...or the grocery store, I guess.

Wheeled over to the local foodstuff emporium to get some supplies for this week's lunch selection. (Taco salad... featuring my favorite: Pinko de Gallo, and soy crumbles! Nom.)

...as a side note, El Paso low-sodium taco seasoning has MSG. I went with Ortega.

Today was pretty flippin' gorgeous. Partly cloudy, a little breeze but no real wind. The hard-working road crews were nice enough to patch up the block north of my house so the beginning and end of my ride was SO much more pleasant.

My butt is still a little sore... guess I have to build up callouses or something. I'm still figuring out how my bike works... 2 times out of 10 I'll downshift when I mean to upshift. At least I remembered my review mirror this time -- I get wicked paranoid about traffic when I can't see behind me!

Here's hoping that the rest of the month's weather follows this example!

A pleasure to meet you, Gordman's...

A few weeks ago I was tooling around Woodbury and saw some new signage going up -- "Gordman's."

I remembered seeing a Gordman's in Cedar Rapids last fall when I was down for Homecoming, but didn't know much else beyond that. As far as I can tell it's kind of like a Marshall's or TJ Maxx... Discounted apparel, home goods, some foods... I was impressed by their selection of wall art, for sure. I also picked up an adorable bag I didn't need and some adorable earrings that I probably did. (I don't show much variety in my ear jewelry selections, so any additions are probably welcome.)

In addition, I saw a variety of U of MN apparel items featuring Hello Kitty.

I'm not sure how that would have come to be.

Nor do I understand why.

I love you, Ax-Man.

What's that? Could it be a LIFE-SIZE JESUS BOBBLE-HEAD??

Yes. Yes it is.

(And yes, I pushed on his head to see if it would wiggle.)

Today I hit the local awesome surplus store, Ax-Man. I was in search of bamboo, fake fish, and a steering wheel. I didn't walk out with any of those things (though the first thing I saw walking in was bamboo. Huge bamboo. But too short for what I needed.) I did get some adhesive-backed foam strips and a roll of masking tape.

I nearly walked out with a couple Japanese notepads, featuring "Happy Burger." They had an adorable engrish phrase on the front, which I have since forgotten... but I was able to resist.

As a props person, I can't believe how invaluable a resource Ax-Man is. I mean sure -- sometimes it's a complete strikeout for what you're actually looking for. But other times it has just what you need, and sometimes things you didn't even know you needed!

The Carrot, or the Stick

What absolutely fabulous weather today!! I was totally decked out with my properly padded bike shorts, neon rainbow argyle knee-highs, and my polar/panda bear woot shirt. A rainbow of fun!

So today I gave myself a choice... 6 miles on the treadmill at the gym (which at the speed I've been able to do meant about 3 HOURS) OR a fabulous bike ride to Best Buy!

Obviously, it was all about Best Buy.

Some learnings... My water bottle is too tall to fit in my bottle cage. (Those of you who know me best will know what a hardship it is for me to have to buy another water bottle.) Also, the paint job on my rack is not going to survive. I'm sad about that, but at least I have pictures.

PLUS it sounds like there won't be rain tomorrow! Oh, where will my bike take me?

We shall see...

That's what I'm talking about!

Sunshine, almost 60, puffy white clouds...

(My outside light actually works! It usually stops functioning around Halloween... Sad news for the Trick-or-Treaters.)

I picked up some padded short liners the other day... Apparently these miraculous items will turn regular clothing into fantabulously comfortable biking clothes.

Will they work? This is yet to be determined... But if the weather stays this way, I will have plenty of opportunity!!!

Great Finds!

Today is $1.49 tag day at Goodwill, and being a props person on a budget I try not to miss it.

Today was a mediocre day for the show, but a good day for me! I scored a $2 book, a pair of work jeans for $1.49 and the most fantastic handmade dress which will make its public debut this Saturday with some adjustments.

It might have been a little ambitious to ride my bike to Goodwill... but I dressed a little better and the wind was much less harsh. I'm still hoping that the rumors of 60 degrees on Thursday are true! I need a little more heat to be comfortable riding, I think.

What? No kick stand?

Did you know that bikes don't come with kick stands?
I didn't know that bikes don't come with kick stands.
I can only assume that is because if you're buying an awesome speedy steed, as I did, you would never stop riding and then never need to prop it up.
That, or most people don't have cats who like to knock it over.
(And perhaps most people don't store their bikes in their dining room.)

Anyway, I had this issue. And let's face it -- I may feel comfortable painting a bike rack a wild color, but I was going to have to do some major research on what kick stand is appropriate for my bike.

OR... I could find another solution entirely!

I don't even remember what it's called! But it folds up, and can fit in your pocket! And then it gets all unfoldy and fits over your pedal stem. This was designed for very specific models (not mine) but it works reasonably well!

Day Three!

W00T! Check out the super-sweet custom rack! In all honesty, it was a bit too cold to spray paint yesterday. It took very long to dry. In fact, I was a concerned it never would. I also could have really given it another coat, but I was too impatient -- and who's really going to look closely, anyway?

Went for a ride this morning... it was mostly cloudy, about 46 degrees, and the wind was blowing at about 20 mph. The wind was kind of a bummer. Other learnings included: if you're going to the library, make sure to remember it's Sunday and it's not open until noon. Also, if this is your first longer ride after a winter of sitting on cushy chairs and couches, maybe you should wear some actual padded bike shorts.

Aside from those bumps in the road (and the literal bumps, too. Can't wait for the street sweepers to clear off all the sketchy sand on the roadsides) it was a good start to the month o' riding. Rain is on the way for today and tomorrow, but Tuesday is looking good for another trek!

Biking, Day Two!

It's supposed to get to 50 today, and I'm hoping that's warm enough for a short ride.  The thing about biking is that you're going so awesomely fast that you create your own wind chill -- so I hope April decided to stay average at the least and preferably unseasonably warm.
...Not that I am at all in a rush to get to the hot, humid days of summer.  I am a big fan of spring and hope it sticks around for a while!

--

My plan for a long ride was foiled by the temporary misplacement of my wallet. Instead of zipping along wet, pot-hole strewn avenues, I was driving frantically around Roseville trying to find my wallet. It is found. I ended up taking a short hop over to my parents' house to acquire my old bike rack, and will hopefully get it painted and installed before the weekend is through!

30 Days of Biking!

No riding today! It was too cold and a bit damp. So instead I decided I should check my tire pressure in preparation for (hopefully) a ride tomorrow! In my infinite wisdom, I did remember that I would need to buy a special bike pump for my tires. However, I coudn't for the life of me remember how to use it. There were no instructions. It didn't even occur to me to check the handbook for my bike to confirm that I was trying the right type of valve! *sigh* For a while I had a front tire with NO air pressure at all. Thankfully, I still had the pump on loan from last year (thanks, sis!) so I got everything squared away. I'm hoping that tomorrow I can go out for a short spin and maybe get some paint on my bike rack!

(Also, as promised -- a picture of my new ride! It's awesome!)