Recent Quotes

Obviously these weren't all directed at me:

• Lisa, you can't do the mash pit, your're wearing a scarf.
• You look like a black sausage in that suit.
• I know that dog is man's best friend and I can prove it. I put my 2 dogs in the trunk of my car, along with my lovely wife and locked them in for 2 hours. When I returned and opened the trunk, the dogs were really happy to see me.
• I love Tom, he is my greatest supporter.
• That's why I love riding bikes with the ladies. The second it gets warm they all start taking their tops off.

We all have choices & attitude is everything

Just a few moments ago I was cleaning off the hard drive of my computer. I found this Word document dated from 2003. Before deleting it I decided to open it up and read it. I found it inspiring so I'm sharing it (note: I have no idea whether the story is true or not, but who cares!).

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!” He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Michael replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood …or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested. “Yes, it is,” Michael said.

“Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?” I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter,” Michael replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

Michael continued, “...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read “he’s a dead man. I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said Michael. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. “Yes, I replied.” The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply I took a deep breath and yelled, “Gravity.”

Over their laughter, I told them, “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Quick, easy, and yummy food

I got a new magazine called "Eating Well". This week I made 3 recipes from it and all were super delicious, super easy, and took absolutely no time to make. So no excuses, there is no reason no matter how busy you are, why you can't have healthy, quick meals.

My favorite of the week which also happens to have a decent amount of protein and fiber:

Black Bean & Salmon Tostadas

• (8) 6-inch corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• (1) 6 to 7 ounce can boneless, skinless wild Alaskan salmon, drained (see note below about canned salmon)
• (1) avocado, diced
• (2) tablespoons minced pickled jalapenos, plus 2 tablespoons pickling juice from the jar, divided
• (2) cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
• (2) tablespoons chopped cilantro
• (1) 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
• (3) tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream (I like plain non-fat yogurt myself!)
• (2) tablespoons salsa
• (2) scallions, chopped (or any kind of onion you that you like)
• dash of chipolte chili poweder or cayenne pepper (optional)
• Lime wedges (optional - because none of the ingredients are optional!)

And I can't have anything with a tortilla without olives, so of course, I topped my tostada with a few sliced olives.

MAKES: 4 servings, 2 tostadas each

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes, TOTAL TIME, 25 minutes

COST PER SERVING: under $2.50

TIP: Skip store-bought and make your own crispy tostada shells in the oven, pickled jalapenos, cilantro and avocado perk up canned salmon for the topping.

SERVE WITH: Brown rice cooked with diced tonatoes and onions or salsa. Or don't serve with anything at all. 2 of these bad boys were just right for a meal for me.

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees.
2. Coat tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. Place on 2 baking sheets. Bake, turning once, until light brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Combine salmon, avocado and jalapenos in a bowl.
4. Combine cabbage, cilantro and the pickling juice in another bowl.
3. Process black beans, sour cream, salsa and scallions (I also added some chipolte chili powder because I like a little more bite or if I didn't have chipolte, I would sprinkle some cayanne pepper to spice it up) in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high until hot, about 2 minutes.
5. To assemble tostadas, spread each tortilla with some bean mixture and some salmon mixture and top with the cabbage. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Of course, I also topped with more cilantro, salsa, and olives. The color was beautiful!

PER SERVING: 319 calories; 11g. fat (2g saturated, 6g monosaturated); 16mg cholesterol; 43g carbohydrate; 0g added sugars; 16g protein; 12g fiber, 352mg sodium.

Find more salmon recipes, including Blackened Salmon Sandwich, at http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_salmon_recipes. And if anybody out there actually makes one of the salmon recipes, please let me know if it was yummy!

BUYING CANNED SALMON
Skin and Bones: Unless specified, canned salmon includes the skin and small bones. Although both are edible, buying boneless, skinless salmon (labeled as such) is best and most convenient.

Red, Pink and Wild: Wild-caught salmon from Alaska is the best choice for the environment, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. Farmed salmon, including Atlantic, should be avoided, as it endangers the wild salmon population. Both wild-caught red salmon, also called sockeye, and pink salmon are available in cans. Red salmon has a richer color and meatier texture, while pink salmon is more pale and tender. Look for "wild Alaskan" on the label.

My Lucky Bamboo isn't so Lucky

I can't say that I am a Feng Shui disciple, but Feng Shui intrigues me and I find myself unconsciously doing things around the house to abide by the principles. For instance, I have Lucky Bamboo.

[Now, a bit more about me - probably more than you want to know]

The time I spend in our master bath is a total treat and I cherish it. The bathroom is awesome and it's my favorite room in the house. For one, it's huge. Also, the tub is awesome. We have a 5-1/2 foot cast iron claw foot tub (circa 1912). The water stays really hot for a very long time and let me tell you, I take advantage of it. I draw a super hot bath, grab a good book, and bring either a cup of tea or a glass of wine to my sanctuary. And if I am really feeling indulgent, I light my lemongrass candle (if you know me, you know I love anything ginger and lemon) and sometimes I faintly play classical music piped in via the surround sound stereo system. A bath for me is usually an hour long and I love every moment of it.

From tub I look over to a vanity where my Lucky Bamboo lives. It's beautiful, I love the lush color of green, and it brings me peace just looking at it.

[Let me take a brief detour to give you the down and dirty quick lowdown on Feng Shui Lucky Bamboo]

Bamboo is a symbol of strength, fortitude, and rapid growth in Chinese culture.

The basic principle of Feng Shui is to bring the natural elements of earth, water, air, fire, and metal in balance with the environment. Lucky Bamboo is said to be a thriving example of the elements of wood and water and when tied with a red ribbon or string, the element of fire is drawn in. Fire is believed to increase the positive flow of energy or chi into a room.

When given as a gift, Lucky Bamboo is said to be at its luckiest. It is especially popular as housewarming gifts and for the opening of a new business. If you purchase Lucky Bamboo for yourself, think of it as a gift to the home.

Chinese tradition imparts meaning to the number of bamboo stalks given as a gift:

• 2 for Love & Marriage  
• 3 for Happiness 
• 5 for Health 
• 8 for Wealth and Abundance 
• 9 for Good Fortune 

The more stalks, the more generous the blessing of luck, for example but the Chinese never give four stalks of Lucky Bamboo, because the word for "death" in Chinese sounds very much like the number four and is considered unlucky.

[Back to my story]

  

I have had the Lucky Bamboo in the master bath for probably 8 years or so and it has always been a happy, healthy, and heart plant that has required virtually no maintenance. But strangely enough it has suffered an acute attack of something and is quickly dying - its lucky days seem to be about over. Now, I'm not really a superstitious person, but coincidently, I have been suffering from a running injury that has landed me in the tub more often than usual. So now I am wondering if my suffering could be at all related to the suffering bamboo? Yes, I am training for Boston and running more than usual which lends support to my increased risk for injury. Could I be causing the bamboo to suffer because I am suffering?

The reason I ponder all of this is years ago Tom's grandma Nellie gave us her Jade plant. We had the thing for years and years and just like the bamboo that plant it was indestructible! The Jade mysteriously started to deteriorate and at that same time Nellie suffered a horrible stroke. It didn’t even register with us at the time that it was a coincidence. Tom's mom moved in with Nellie to care for her and it was a very challenging time. Nellie couldn't speak, couldn't eat, and was bed ridden requiring 24-hour care. Her health and her spirit were on the brink and it was evident that her time on earth was limited. Then, crazy enough, out of nowhere, Nellie had a miraculous improvement in health. She started talking, eating, and her spunkiness made a comeback appearance. And oddly enough, so did the Jade plant. Still, the coincidence didn’t register with us. Sadly, the comeback was short lived and Nellie passed away and I kid you not, the Jade just died too, immediately. It didn't slowly deteriorate after Nellie's death; it literally just died the same time she did. NOW, the coincidence registered and I think that was the start of some strange belief system.

Back to 2010 - now I'm freaking out over this Lucky Bamboo in the bathroom.......

[Lucky Bamboo also makes me think of Drew]

I won't go into it now, but I'll let you read an article about Drew here.

One of my first visits to see Drew when he returned to Seattle after suffering an injury that rendered him paralyzed from the neck down, as a get well gift I brought Drew some Lucky Bamboo. When I presented it to him we had an incredible conversation about it and discussed the meaning behind the number of stalks. I gave Drew 3 stalks for happiness. Drew asked me why I didn't give him 5 for health. My response was because you can be healthy and not happy, and if you are happy then nothing else matters.

Boston Hot Shot = NOT

Okay, I know I am going to sound negative here but think about it, really.

For many runners it is their life's running goal to make it to the Boston Marathon sometime in their life. It usually starts with a primordial goal of just finishing a shorter distance race and then graduating to just finishing a marathon. Then another marathon and another, and then eventually leading to the desire to want to improve your marathon time, finally graduating to qualifiying for Boston.

Last year in March I qualified for the Boston Marathon. I was all proud of myself and decided that I could finally once and for all declare myself as a runner. Why not, I qualified for Boston? To make it there I had to log hundreds of miles, grueling time spent on the track, hill repeats, blisters, and many hours on Saturdays pounding the pavement while my friends are all out riding their bikes. Not to mention that I when I ran the Napa Marathon (my Boston qualifier), I was really sick with a cold/flu thing that I caught on the plane on the way over. But I did it, sniffing and sneezing and battling nausea, I qualified, making it by a mere 7 seconds! I was still proud of myself, because whether I ever ran Boston or not, I knew that I was part of some unwritten club and could now call myself a runner.

Well that was March of 2009 and the Boston Marathon registration was already closed, so that means April 2010 - Boston here I come.

Last week on my long run, my running parter Julie commented that she was happy to hear that Boston has starting shoots to queue up so it's not a massive 30,000 runner start. I commented something like, what's it matter, we are going to be the slowest ones there; it's not like we need a great starting position because we need to weave ourselves through the crowd to pass thousands of people. What?? she said.

Think about it. We barely qualified (not to diminish our huge accomplishment, but, we barely qualified). Not to mention that I bet 50% of the runners are younger than us which means they need a faster qualifiying time. Then add the older runners who more than met their minimum qualifiying time. My guess is we rank in lower 10% of the runners. Out of 30,000 people, we are going to practically be the slowest ones.

I think I let a little air out of Julie's balloon. But, who knows, it may inspire her to train harder!

The Boston Marathon is rich in history and tradition, the course is rather infamous and it is no wonder that it is highly revered. Even if you aren't a runner, I encourage you to read about this prestigious event here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Marathon.

Some keywords to note: Boston, Patriot's Day, Heartbreak Hill, Boston College, Wellesley College, Rosie Ruiz scandal.

All I can say is that it's Heartbreak Hill that is motivating me to train. I thinkof the hill constantly and I am sure that it will most certainly live up to its reputation.

A few photos to document my incredible trip to Napa with the running girls (despite being sick).

Julie, Me, & Lily

Post Race Day Wine Tasting

Me, Julie, Brend, & Martha

Inside joke

Double click on this to see a larger view. This is the tree biker at my neighbors house. He regularly dress the biker up and accessorizes him. One day after the marathon I was walking down the street when I saw a bus full of Japanese tourists stopped here taking photos.

I can't wait for Spring Release....

It was an incredible weekend with friends. It all started when rather spontaneously we decided to open up the wine cellar and indulge in some of better wines that we have been saving for a special occasion. The problem is that we always save it for a special occasion and our purchases have far out weighed our consumpution, so consequently we are stocked (not stacked, but rather stocked). And what better time of year than a nasty rainy cold evening to open the cellar up. THE CELLAR IS STOCKED, THE WINES ARE RIPE, AND WE ARE RE-DEFINING "SPECIAL OCCASION". Life is good.....

The result was a very long and relaxing evening in the living room with Randi & Kat where the 4 of us savored 5 very different bottles of some excellent vino.


A little detour: If you know Tom and me very well, you know how much we love Walla Walla and we go every spring. So it should be no surprise that about 90% of our wine inventory is from there. And in case you wonder why we love Walla Walla (besides their premium wines and many boutique wineries) - here is a photo that I think captures why it is so special to us. So each and every bottle that we drink from Walla Walla also represents a memory of someone special we met, an interesting conversation with the wine maker, and/or flashbacks of a beautiful day. Most often, it is all of the above.

Back to wine tasting. Here is what we tasted (our selections were random, but we tasted them in this order):

• 2005 Walla Walla Vitners Sangiovese
  
• 2003 K Vitners "Lucky No. 7" Syrah
  
• 2006 Five Star Cellars Merlot
  
• 2004 Four Vines Anarchy (the only non-Walla Walla wine) - this is a yummy Red Rhone Blend from the Central Coast of California in the Paso Robles Appleation.
  
• 2004 SYZYGY Cabernet Sauvignon

While we didn't take detailed notes and all of us have different palates, it seemed as though we were all crazy over the Five Star Merlot.
As much as I love wine, I am no sommelier, so I plagerized the winery's website to describe this incredible Merlot:
Intense cedar and spicy clove fill the senses. A lush mouth full of black cherry and pepper is offset with the balanced acidity. The carmel notes on the extended finish are framed with the fine oak tannins.
Ymmmm....
Then, another great evening spent at Jack and Anne's along with Anne's parents. And of course, sipping wine. It just doesn't get any better than this!

The Blog has been Ressurected

Okay, I know, it has been over a year since I started this blog and almost as long since my last posting. Today I was reading someone else's blog and decided to delete mine since I obviously don't make it a priority. But then I read my posting - "Things I Learned This Week". Reading it brought me back to that week and I realized that jogging my memory is totally needed and it made me happy to relive all those little things that I wrote about.

I spend a lot of time reading my friends blogs and I love it! Time is always in short supply and I am not one to really talk on the phone (except with my Mom), so reading blogs is a fabulous way for me to somewhat catch up on my friend's lives. Facebook kind of does that too, but I much prefer to read the fabulous blogs of all my friends.

So instead of deleting my lame blog, I have decided to try to use it more often to document things, mostly random, that happen in my life. Really, it's all about me, in that the purpose of my blog is for me to go back to at a later date.

Check out that video of Porter in the snow. It makes me totally happy to watch it. He loves the snow so much and I think I get more enjoyment watching him in it that he actually gets rolling in it.

Stay tuned for more random thoughts and occurances......