Feeling better now

Finally, I'm starting to feel better after today's microwave meltdown. I drove home with the windows rolled all the way down to air myself out. When I got home, I realized my clothing and hair reeked of the microwave smoke, so I got in the shower and washed my hair twice. Even then, I could still smell it. I think the stench just invaded my nostrils and decided to camp out there for a while.

It's now almost four hours after it happened, and my headache is subsiding. I had a spinach salad with salmon and chickpeas for dinner, and I think all that brain food really did the trick. I swear, when I inhaled that smoke, my I.Q. dropped about 20 points- and believe me, I don't have 20 points to spare.

My goal tonight is to relax. One of the ways I relax is by reading in the bathtub. Today I picked up a copy of Look Me In the Eye by John Elder Robison. It's a memoir of a man who has Asperger's syndrome. He also happens to be the older brother of Augusten Burroughs, who wrote Running With Scissors.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and let the people know that I'm all better now, even if I did catch microwave brain cancer.

Microwave meltdown

Almost every day, I go to our company break room to nuke a cup of Campbell's Soup at Hand. Just like every other day, I went up there this afternoon, put in the container, and set the microwave timer for 1 minute and 30 seconds. I turned around to look at some magazines sitting on the table, and when I turned back, the microwave was billowing huge clouds of stinky, acrid smoke.

I called the extension for the guy around here who fixes stuff and he said he'd be right there. Next thing I know, the fire alarm went off. The entire building was evacuated. This is a really big building that I work in, too. I'm not sure how many people work here, but it's got to be over 1,000.

Even though it's not my fault- I followed the instructions just like I always do- I still feel like kind of a jackass. Also, since I stood in there for so long inhaling the fumes, I'm feeling kind of nauseous, headachy, and dizzy.

Here is my artistic rendition of the event that just occurred:











And now, I think I'm leaving early. This better not affect my race results tomorrow.

Gearing up for tomorrow's race

I'm getting very excited and nervous for tomorrow's Truffle Shuffle 5K. Last night I picked up our packets at the designated place. My number for the race is 1810. I looked up the year 1810 on Wikipedia and not much was going on. About the most excited thing that happened in 1810 was Beethoven composed Fur Elise.

There are a lot of good 5K tips for beginners on RunnersWorld.com. I'm grateful for the advice, because I really have no clue what I'm doing. Here are the big things I have learned:

1) Start toward the end of the pack.
2) Don't eat a big breakfast. There's no need to carbo-load for such a short race.
3) The day before, rest. Don't train.
4) Pace yourself. It's likely that you'll run a little faster than normal, so keep it in check so you don't burn out.
5) The goal for your first race should just be to finish. Don't have high expectations.

All good things to know, especially the one about breakfast. I wouldn't want to blow my biscuits all over the place for my fellow runners to step in. When I read I shouldn't work out today, I was heartbroken, truly.

My dad will likely be attending, so I'll gently ask him to interact with technology and take some pictures. If I get any good ones I'll post them. Wish me luck!

The enchilada thief

We have a dog. Have I mentioned that before? He's a Chihuahua named Buster, and we think he's pretty cute. He's not the fragile, shaky, nervous Chihuahua you might expect to see under the arm of Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. He's a pretty robust little thing.

Last night I made a new recipe called Enchiladas with Salsa Verde. I'd been looking forward to making these things for a while. It was a lot of work to cook the chicken breasts, shred them up, make the enchilada sauce, and assemble the dish before popping it in the oven. Any time I'm preparing food, Buster is close by. As I blended the onions, salsa verde, cilantro, and garlic in the blender, a small drop fell down to the floor, which he promptly licked up. Then, as I was chopping a red bell pepper, a piece fell and it was gone almost before it hit the floor. I guess by that point Buster knew he wanted an enchilada.

Angie and I eat dinner on tray tables in front of the TV. That's because we're classy. It's typical for the dog to sit between us as we eat, but he's rarely intrusive. He'll normally just sit there in hopes that we'll give him something. However, something must have snapped in him, because I barely had the first bite in my mouth before the little dickhead grabbed an enchilada right off my plate!

Imagine the little 7-lb. dog pictured above, with an entire enchilada hanging out of his mouth like a folded up newspaper. I was so dumbfounded that it took me a second to react. I reached out with my bare hand and grabbed the enchilada back. It was hot and steamy and it kind of hurt. Little bits and pieces of chicken, salsa, and cheese had already fallen on the couch by this point, and Buster ate every bit before we had time to blink.

Angie was kind of freaking out, saying "Did he just take that off your plate?!" and "Buster, NO!!! Bad dog!!" I however, just put the enchilada back on my plate and continued to eat it. I worked too hard on that damn dinner to let my pint-sized pup ruin it for me.

Even though Buster is of Mexican heritage, his little sensibilities were too delicate to handle all the spices, onions, and garlic he'd eaten. He didn't throw up, but he came pretty close. He was heaving and hacking like it was going out of style.

After getting over the shock of it all, we realized how hilarious the whole thing was. Seriously, if this had been on tape, Bob Saget would be handing us 10 grand right about now. The enchiladas were delicious too, by the way. I'd recommend the recipe.

Treats up in the hizzy part 2

So I just walked by the muffins. Big mistake. They are HUGE, and there are 3 different kinds...blueberry, chocolate, and banana nut. Someone already cut into one of the blueberry ones, so I grabbed the knife and cut myself a small wedge, probably about 1/10th of the whole thing. It was really, really good. Then I had another small piece. Oh well. I've been an exercising fool lately, so if I can't eat 1/5th of a blueberry muffin, that's not the kind of world I want to live in. If eating muffins is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Peeps always bringin' treats up in this hizzy

I know it's no one's fault but my own that I have difficulty controlling myself in the presence of yummy foods. I also know it's no one's responsibility but my own to monitor what I eat. I get that. I really do.

But dammit, people, why do you have to bring treats to work every single day?! Why?! First it was donuts, then sticky buns, then yummy chocolate eggs, and today we have muffins. I was hoping people would lay off after the holidays, but nope. I'm sick of it. It's a nice gesture, they're only trying to be nice...yada yada yada... whatevs. I'm done. There are a few people who sit over by the treat table who I like to chat with, but I seriously can't even walk over there any more if there are scrumptious baked goods on the table. It's just too much of a temptation and it screws with my head.

And thus endeth my rant.

10 Minute miles! / Upcoming vegetarian week

On Tuesdays, I try to break personal fitness records. The past few weeks I've spent my time building up my endurance by jogging 5 mph for up to 65 minutes. Now that I'm signed up for a 5K race, I thought it was time to concentrate on building my speed and intensity rather than endurance.

Previously, the longest I've tried to jog at a 6 mph pace was about 3 minutes. It's amazing how watching The Biggest Loser during my workout motivates me. Last night, I ran four 10-minute miles. I took walking breaks between each mile to recover a bit. It was a great feeling. After I was done, I sat down on the couch, dripping in sweat, feeling like an athlete for the first time in my life. My arms are starting to get really toned. I may even...gulp...wear shorts this summer. I haven't done that since I was 12 years old. In fact, I don't think I've weighed this little since I was 12 years old. eesh.

Subject change...

Every now and then, Angie and I like to switch to a vegetarian diet. We decided to temporarily cut out the meat starting Saturday, March 1, and ending Friday, March 7th. I'm excited to experiment with some foods I haven't cooked with before, like quinoa. It's fun just to say that word. Say it with me one time- "KEEN-WAH." There, wasn't that pretty sweet? I'll also be making Red Curried Tofu, so I'll let you know what that turns out. I've only eaten tofu a handful of times in my life, and I liked it. Some people aren't into it at all, like my parents. They call it "toad food." Another good veggie recipe is Quick Vegetarian Paella. The portion size is very satisfying. I'm all about big portions with no guilt.

Vegetarian week will be kicked off with a trip to one of the best vegetarian/vegan restaurants I know of, Eden Alley. The place is located in the basement of Unity Temple church in the area of Kansas City called The Plaza. I've been there two or three times, and I've always gotten the falafel platter, which looks like this:














It may be time to try something new. I have it from a good source that the Spinach and Mushroom Loaf is really good:













I suspect Angie will order the tacos, which I've had a bite of and are delicious:













If you're so inclined, feel free to comment and tell me which looks the best to you. I very well may take your opinions into consideration when placing my order. I only get one cheat meal per week, so I want it to really count, people!