Books I've Read: No One Is Here Except All Of Us

by Ramona Ausubel

My friend Nina is close friends with the author of No One Is Here Except All Of Us, so Nina suggested that my old book club rekindle and reunite to discuss it.  Our gathering is tonight, and I wonder what everyone will say!

The book was reviewed, positively, in the Times and elsewhere, and, to be honest, I'm not sure what to think about that other than people are obsessed with Holocaust stories.  It certainly isn't for everyone.

To really believe that the characters are doing what they do requires such an enormous suspension of logic that I simply could not do it.  I kept reading and finding myself being extremely critical of the characters' actions - what parent gives her child away to her INSANE aunt in the name of make-believe?  What clever 11-year-old would allow herself to be treated as though she were a baby (complete with the insane aunt sticking her dry breast into the grown child's mouth)?  How could all of those villagers stand to not know the news, or hear from loved ones?

I understand that this is an exploration of using storytelling to survive, explain the unknown, and how it can shape what is thought to be the truth.  "[H]ope was in the telling," Ausubel says.  I am just too practical as a reader; this kind of suspension of reality is impossible for me.  I actually don't fault the novel much at all, and rather believe that a logical-minded reader like myself was not a good match for it.

It is definitely unique.  I really liked the idea that if the world is so ridiculous that a faction of people not only believed that it was the right thing to do, but got away with, exterminating millions of Jewish people, that it is no more ridiculous to erase history and start anew.  Who is to say that we can't do that?

The novel is also written in an interesting, looping, lyrical way, which drove me crazy at the same time it matched exactly the atmosphere of the story.  The author's style here is very effective, and I liked the technicality of it.  The feeling of it is dreamy and ghosty, which is great for the mood and helps the reader believe the make-believe.

I would recommend it for readers interested in a creative, different kind of Holocaust tale, but not for people like me who might have a hard time with the fantastic, folky aspect of it.

"This Tornado Loves You"

Last Wednesday morning, my tiny hometown of Harrisburg, Illinois was devastated by an EF4 tornado.  My parents' home was, very luckily, spared - the storm passed only a few hundred yards away.  Lots of close friends were affected and six people died.  The neighborhood where my family lived until I was ten years old was flattened.


Watching the national news cover this event has been, to say the least, upsetting.  Anderson Cooper, Al Roker, Soledad O'Brien, and Sam Champion have reported from Harrisburg, and all of the major newspapers have run stories on the tornado.  To read an article about my childhood hometown in my new hometown paper, the New York Times (!!), is strange and sad.  I have hated feeling so powerless and distant as my parents, friends, and community dealt with shock and, now, rebuilding.


To add another layer of how surreal this has all been, my parents didn't have power at their house until Friday after the storm, so they hadn't really seen all of the photographs and videos that we had seen on the news.  My mom went out for a walk this weekend and called me afterward; despite living a half-mile away from the area, she was just now seeing what I hadn't been able to tear myself away from all week.  She said it looks like a war zone.


After everything, though, people in Harrisburg have already been working together to clean up.  It is such a small town that everyone knows everyone, and neighbors help one another.  People who lost homes have places to stay, volunteers are coming out in droves, churches and community groups are organizing relief, and everyone is, in general, coming together.  I'm proud to be from a place where people care about those around them.


Someone posted this on Facebook:

And here are some pertinent news articles:


Video with Anderson Cooper phone interviewing the mayor, the day it happened.  I think Mayor Eric Gregg did a great job communicating with the press and representing Harrisburg:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/weather/2012/02/29/nr-harrisburg-tornado-mayor.cnn#/video/weather/2012/02/29/nr-harrisburg-tornado-mayor.cnn

Huffington Post coverage:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/harrisburg-illinois-torna_n_1310874.html?ref=chicago

Nice Chicago Tribune op-ed piece, interesting if only because Chicago pretty much ignores anything in Illinois south of the city:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-tornado-0301-20120301,0,657601.story

New York Times coverage:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/us/in-illinois-tornados-devastation-sinks-in.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=harrisburg&st=cse

Mrs. Bramlet was my kindergarten teacher!  I love her:
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/03/02/tornado-marks-new-chapter-surviors-life


I don't write this to elicit sympathy or anything like that, mostly just to remember and to remind myself to be thankful for all I have.

Race Report: PPTC’s Cherry Tree 10-Miler

PPTC already has a bunch of other, more timely blog posts rounded up, so go here if you're interested in those. Some of my friends' blogs are featured, including Kilax, I Came To Run, and Surviving the Philly Marathon and Beyond.

I hadn’t planned on running this race, for a few reasons. One, I had hoped to be out of town visiting Chicago last weekend, meeting my new baby niece and catching up with my family. Two, the thought of running up a giant hill three times (the course for this race is three times around Prospect Park in Brooklyn, which sports one loooooooooong, hard hill) wasn’t terribly appealing. Three, I am trying to curb my spending on these “races” that I continue to treat as training runs, because I can, and should, do that for free, plus I *just* ran two races last week. (Those race reports are here and here.) Four, taking the subway out to Brooklyn on a weekend morning is always an adventure; the MTA is constantly working on the lines and it can take upwards of an hour to get there from the Upper East Side. The list goes on. The point is, I had several reasons NOT to run the Prospect Park Track Club’s Cherry Tree 10-Miler.

But, then.

A sudden jump in airfare thwarted my travel plans, and then Tracy gave me a convincing sales pitch for this race that included her saying, “I'm doing it! I'm doing it! I've done the race before and I like it. They give unusual souvenirs...!” Well, the souvenir is, indeed, “unusual,” if by “unusual,” I mean hilarious. It is a bright red fleece hat with a cap brim and ear flaps, and it is in a size so giant that one can wear another large hat under it and it still fits over. I’m not sure I’ll ever wear such a statement piece, but it gave me a good laugh. (I secretly kind of love it and wish it were cold enough to wear it.)  Yesterday I tried to get my cats to pose for an excellent picture with the hat, but they are apparently more fashion-forward than I and ran away.

Anyway, I signed up online at the last minute last Tuesday. Registration was $25 in advance, and was very easy. I went by bib pick-up at Jack Rabbit Sports on West 14th Street last Thursday, which was orderly and quick. An added bonus was running into Majo, who was volunteering; it is always nice to see a friendly face.

It is easy to compare races organized by "others" to the NYRR's offerings, and every runner in New York has an opinion.  No exception here.  NYRR races are expensive and crowded.  But, as a believer in free markets, I think that so long as runners will pay the prices asked, why shouldn't NYRR be able to charge them?  Because of some sort of duty to the people?  Please.  Supply, demand.  We're all adults here, and if a consumer were willing to pay you $30 for something, don't pretend to tell me you would sell it for $15 just for the warm fuzzies.  And, if the fees were lower, races would be even more crowded, which would be even worse.  The prices don't bother me.  What bothers me (REALLY REALLY DRIVES ME CRAZY), is that NYRR does not do an adequate job of policing the corrals.  Inevitably, folks walking three abreast line up at the front, so faster people actually trying to race are tripped up and always have slowish first and second miles until the crowds thin out.

Even slower runners like me are dodging and weaving for far longer than necessary.  I hate this, and think it is a matter of training volunteers and staff to at least try to enforce the bib times at line up.  They don't, at least not that I've seen.  Check bib numbers as people fill in the corrals.  Ask the walkers to line up at the back.  Forced running etiquette can be tricky, but I have to believe that at least some of the inconsiderate participants honestly don't realize they are obstacles and that everyone hates them.  At the same time, those who intentionally defy the rules are just assholes and deserve to be trampled.

With that rant over, PPTC's Cherry Tree 10-Miler was a joy.  Tracy and Emilie picked me up near my apartment in a ZipCar, and we zipped out to Brooklyn.  I was charged with mapping our route to a school near the park so that Emilie could pick up her bib.  I love few things more than being the navigator, and I'm a terrible driver, so this arrangement works well for me!  We found a sweet parking spot and stressed for a while about what to wear; the weather was in that in-between range (high 30's) that isn't cold enough for lots of layers, but too warm for some cold-weather running gear.  I settled on my running capris,. two light long-sleeved tech layers, cap, and lightweight gloves, which in the end was too much.  I wish I had just worn one top layer, like my Brooks half-zip.  I even shed my gloves after a while.

The race wasn't crowded, and everyone seemed cheerful.  Prospect Park is a nice place to run, and it was a good change from my usual Central Park and West Side Highway routes.  As we started running, I declared that my race "plan" was to: (1) make it to Brooklyn (Already accomplished by then! Win!); (2) catch up with my friends; and (3) run 10 miles at my slow, chatty training pace, which is about 10:30/mile.  Tracy and Emilie agreed at the time, but those sneaks later revealed to me that they both had secret real goals for this race!  I definitely had no secret real goals, particularly considering I had forgotten my Garmin at home, so I would not have known our pace even if I had cared.  

Kim took this as we were coming around one of the loops.  Why are my legs both bent like that?  I look like I'm about to sit right down.  

Their secret real goal, disclosed around mile 8, was to finish in under 1:40.  We did it, no thanks to me.  I was wandering around and walking up the hill with the best of them.  Three times we approached that hill and I was all for walking, and three times Tracy pushed us to run a bit further up the hill before taking a break.  Thanks, T!

Near the end of the race, there was this woman who kept running past us, and then when she would get ahead a bit, she would slow down and walk, we would pass, and it would repeat.  This leap-frogging went on and on and on, and Emilie decided that she would NOT allow the annoying leap-frogger to beat us.  So, a little ways out from the finish, who passed us?  Leap-frogger!  Emilie took off and passed her, and Tracy and I were not far behind.

Here we are at our triumphant finish, ahead of the leap-frogging lady, who is eating our dust so hard that she's not even pictured.  I don't know that woman wearing the blue shirt.  She wasn't the target.  I'm sure she is very nice.  Another thanks to Kim for the picture.

After the race, we chatted with some of the other runners, but decided to forego the massages and food offered back at the school so that we could head home and return the ZipCar on time.  Next time, I will definitely stop by for a massage.

I had a lot of fun running this race, and I recommend it and will do it again.  My one complaint (also voiced on other blogs) was that the water cups were entirely too small, but I know the organizers are on top of that already and it will likely improve in the future.  I really liked receiving an e-mail later in the day telling me my finish time, which was 1:39:04 (9:51/mile pace).  That was timed by the finish mat and doesn't account for the few seconds spent waiting to cross the starting line, but that's OK.  It is still seven minutes faster than the last timed 10-miler I ran, which was with my brother last April in CARA's Lakefront 10 Miler, in 1:46:05 (race report here).  In 2010, I ran that same CARA race in 1:52 and change.  I'm coming along.  Maybe I can knock off seven minutes every year!

So, some final thoughts on this.  If I had kept up the 9:51 pace for another 3.1 miles, I could have run a half-marathon in about 2:09 last weekend.  I still have three weeks until the NYC Half, but I have been thinking about my goal.  Assuming reasonable weather, I think 2:05-2:10 is in reach!

Race Report: Cupid's Chase 5K (11 February 2012)

So, first things first.  This morning I happened to click through from Kim's blog over to Run Gingerfoxxx, and wanted to re-post her post from Tuesday: "A call to arms."  She has Huntington's Disease in her family and is raising money for the Huntington's Disease Society of America's Team Hope by putting together a team for the Chicago Half-Marathon on September 9, 2012.  Despite my aversion to running for charity and asking friends and family for money, I may do it with her, and so should you.  Here's why.

Huntington's Disease is a terrible disease.  You may have heard of it if only because Woody Guthrie had it, but it is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder (similar to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's).  I have it in my family, too, although not biologically, like Gingerfoxxx, whose father passed away from it.  My mom's sister's husband had it and so do two of my cousins.  There is no cure.  Anyway, I'm not sure I can run the Chicago Half this year, but if I do I will run with this team, if only to raise awareness for Huntington's Disease.

Next, I have an AMAZING race story to tell you.  Well, not really amazing, but a good one, at least around here.

My friend B, who works with me at the place that I work (which I don't really discuss on this blog), talked me into doing the Cupid's Chase 5K with her and some other folks from the company.  They like to encourage healthy activities around here, and apparently if we get two or more runners to participate in an event, our place of employment will fund the entry fees.  I just discovered this, but you can bet I plan on taking more advantage of this benefit in the future.

Anyway, I registered, and our group ended up being around eight people.  I volunteered to pick up several of our bibs last Wednesday night, because the bib pick up was at the City Sports right near the Empire State Building, and we all know why I was in that particular neighborhood on that particular night.  The bib pick-up was...how do I say this...kind of a mess.  I had to get six bibs, and the girl helping me had some sort of bizarre system set up with hundreds of race bibs in what looked like random piles on a folding table.  Also, on her list of registrants, some of our names were seriously misspelled - my name was spelled "Taea Grosnek."  Incorrect.  So, that took a while, but it all worked out.

On race day morning I didn't have time to eat any real food, so I chomped a leftover lemon cupcake and a cup of coffee and left to meet B on the Upper East Side so that we could head down to the Charles Street Pier in the Hudson River Park.  I figured it was only a 5K, so I didn't need a ton of fuel before, and we had brunch plans for after.  It was snowing, but I (wrongly) believed it was warmish out (high 30's).  So, I debated whether to wear long tights or capri pants; I usually don't go with the full-length tights unless it is below 30 degrees.  I decided on the tights because the temperature was supposed to drop and it was pretty snowy and windy, and I'm glad!  We ended up standing around for a long time before the race, so the extra protection from the elements was much needed.  On top I wore a long-sleeved lightweight tech tee, the cotton race tee (B made me, normally I would NEVER do that), and my Brooks windbreaker.  Ear warmer band, gloves.  I was cold before the race, but once we got going I was fine and had to unzip my jacket.

B modeling the clever Cupid's Chase 5K race shirt.   The 'AVAILABLE' ones were bright red.

I met some colleague runners I had never met before, which was fun.  We all lined up together, more or less, but when the race started some of the faster people took off.  I lost B and her friends, so I made a game-time decision to try to really "race" this 5K, a distance I never do.  I stayed with two of the women from our group for a while, and the first mile flew by - I glanced at my watch, and it said 8:12, which I could not believe.  That's so speedy for me!  What was happening?!  Around that time I lost those two women, but I believed they were in front of me (they weren't), so I just focused on running steadily and keeping it up.

I finished in 26:08, which is just under 8:30/mile pace (!!!).  This is coming from a person who was thrilled to finish a 10K in under an hour and regularly feels like a 10:00/mile pace is fast, so this is a huge accomplishment for me, and exactly where I would like to be in my NYC Half-Marathon training.

The funny part about this finish is that I was tenth in women of my age group!  Baahahahahhaha.  I laugh.  I laugh because this is more a testament to the small number of participants (700ish) than it is to my ability, but I have never been anywhere close to the front of a race before.  The lesson here for myself and all of the other mid- and back-of-the-packers out there is to run some smaller races!  It was a huge confidence boost, and now I know that when my half-marathon training plan calls for mile repeats at 5K pace, that I can do them at 8:30's.

Another lesson?  A cupcake for breakfast before a race will result in a personal record.  True fact.

Race Report: Empire State Building Run-Up (8 February 2012)

I did this!  1576 steps, 86 flights.  (Link to a Gothamist article about the event.)

I am not one of these serious people.  I did not sprint. NYRR photo.

This all began years ago when I read about this race in the paper.  I wrote about it at the time, and wondered if I could do it.  I thought it might be an interesting and different challenge, so when the lottery for the Empire State Building Run-Up opened up back in December, I entered, thinking that I had but a sliver of a chance of winning a spot.  Then, when I did, I stressed about how to train for it and even regretted signing up for it - I'm training for a spring half-marathon, which is already something of a time commitment, and about the last thing I wanted to do was spend my rest/cross-training days climbing freaking stairs in the drab internal stairwell of my apartment building (or, even more brain-deadening, on the stair climbing machine at the gym).  I tried to muster up some enthusiasm for this event and consulted seasoned stair-climbing experts like my friends Tracy (here's her race report from 2010's Empire State Building Run-Up) and Amy (she ran it last year), who both swore that yeah, it was hard, but also a lot of fun and that they would do it again.  I was skeptical.  I did not want to do this, no matter how awesome I might feel after climbing up an iconic New York skyscraper.

To prepare, I did not do much.  No lie.  I've been running around 25 miles a week, including some speedwork here and there, and in addition to that I climbed the stairs in my apartment building a few times (twice? I think? I did 2-3 sets of the whole building, which is 38 floors) and worked out on the stair-climbing machine at the gym two or three times.  On the machine, I would go for 25 minutes and try to do 100 "floors."  That's it.  I didn't run up any stairs, I walked.  Once, I practiced doing two and a time and pulling myself up using the handrails.  Oh, and twice I climbed the giant staircase in the 53rd Street E subway station, instead of taking the escalator.  That's commitment.

On race day I was very, very nervous.  The race wasn't until 8:30PM, so I had all day to sit around at work obsessing about it.  I did not feel prepared, and I worried about being trampled by a bunch of pushy runners who wanted to sprint.  My plan was to stay on the right of the staircase and focus on maintaining a steady pace, and to shoot for a time between 20 and 25 minutes.  I planned to pause for 10 seconds at each of the two water stops, and to chew gum, which I was told would help combat the terrible dry throat that would inevitably plague anyone spending hard-breathing time in a dusty stairwell.

I showed up at the Empire State Building around 7:30PM, got my bib and shirt, and wandered around for a while taking it all in.  It was very festive, with music and runners chatting in groups.  Eventually, I checked my bag and then immediately spotted some people I know from Twitter (nycbklyngirl and experiri) - I'm so thankful I bumped in to them!  It was great to have pals, and chatting with them made me a lot less nervous.

Around 9PM, it was our turn to line up!  We speculated that the bibs for the people, like us, running in the "Time Trials," (i.e., not elites or invitees) were assigned bib numbers alphabetically by last name, because E and I have names that are close to one another.  I think this method worked - it meant that all of the fast people and all of the slow people were averaged out, so there weren't clumps of competitors and it was relatively easy to pass.

I look insane in this picture.  Thanks to @experiri for the pic. 

The organizers started a single runner every 10 seconds, which was also great.  There was almost no crowding, and no one elbowed me in the face or tried to trample me.  Once I started, I stuck to the plan, stayed on the right, and climbed steadily.  The first 20 or so floors flew by - once a Brightroom photographer startled me (he was above me on the landing and I came around and saw him up there), and once I passed a girl who was looking rough and winded, doubled over with her hands on her knees at only about Floor 12 (she was in trouble), but it went by fast.  I passed some people, and even more people passed me.

The middle stretch of the race was the worst.  After 20 or so, the layout changes, and the landings are much longer - maybe 15 feet?  I wasn't expecting this, and the steps spent doubling back definitely add up.  It means more time on your feet, and that my time estimations based on the (minimal) training I did were off.  Also, the air quality in that stairwell was bad, bad, bad - I'm actually still coughing a week later, and I'm convinced that's the reason.  I'm so glad I had the gum!  Huge lifesaver. Anyway, I was huffing and puffing and it seemed those stairs would never end.  But then, suddenly I was in the 60's and I only had 20 flights to go!  I took a few seconds break at the second water station and caught my breath.  My legs were a little shaky but I knew I could finish.  My time was looking good, too; I was on pace to finish in less than 25 minutes.

When I got to the top, they had a door open to the outside observation deck, and then I ran down a little stretch and around a corner to the finish.  Hooray!  I finished in 22:56!  It was a fantastic feeling, being up there, and it was nice and cool after sweltering inside that stairwell.  It was snowing and cloudy at the finish, so I couldn't see the city around me, but I didn't mind.  Also, the Brightroom photographer missed me crossing the finish line, so he called after me and I came back and did a faked one - haha!  I'm glad, though, I actually think I might buy the photo, which I never do.

We then took the elevator down to the start area.  Spotted there was Mary Wittenberg, President and CEO of the New York Road Runners, helping out with bag check!  Awesome.  We got our stuff and headed to a nearby bar to celebrate.

I couldn't resist.  Thanks to nycbklyngirl for capturing this special moment.

In the end, I'm glad I did it, but I don't need to do this again.  It was hard, and now I have a cough!  And it cost me $100!  It really is a cool event, though, and I recommend it.  It is well-organized and really exciting, and now I can brag that I climbed a skyscraper!

The Empire State Building, lit up in orange for the race.  It was snowing and cloudy.  Another nycbklyngirl photo.

Restaurant Ravings: Fancy Birthday Lunch at Le Bernardin

This post is late, considering my birthday was January 20th.  Oh, well.  I also have a large back-log of race reports to publish, so there's that.  Again, oh, well.

Forbes photo.

John and I had such a great time during our pre-Christmas dinner at Eleven Madison Park that we talked about going there again to celebrate our January birthdays.  We had both already planned to take a vacation day from work on January 20th to celebrate, and then I left the decision about where to go up to John.

He surprised me by going a different route and making a lunch reservation at Le Bernardin.  He can be tricky - we have talked about going there ever since it re-opened after its renovation, but I had half forgotten about it.  I'm glad he remembered, though, because we had a terrific experience there. I had been to a client dinner there back around 2003 when I was working at the law firm, but I remembered more about the private room we had and the people I dined with than the food.

That Friday, we got all dressed up and headed to Midtown for our late lunch reservation, having already decided that we were going to do the tasting menu.  It changes often, but here's a link to the current version.  We opted out of the wine pairings, which is usually the right decision for us.  As much as we would like to be, John and I aren't exactly wine connoisseurs.  I know what I like and what I don't, but I know nothing about which years are good for which grapes and regions and "noses" and what all.  Just bring me a glass of light red and I'm happy. We usually find that a low- to mid-priced bottle is fine, and that the pairings are too expensive and result in too much drunkenness.  Anyway, we had a cocktail to start and ordered a nice bottle of some kind of Willamette Valley pinot noir, and that was perfect.

Every course was perfectly done, and each fish was remarkably different.  I remember one course had this great dashi gelee that I would love to have on every bite of fish I ever eat again, and another came with a truffle sauce that I almost licked off the plate.  The service was elegant and relaxed, and we took our time enjoying the beautiful room and all the great food.

We finished in the late afternoon and headed over to the St. Regis for another drink before I traveled out to Queens for my book club meeting.  It was a fantastic day!

Books I've Read: Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table

by Ruth Reichl

My friend Leah gave me this book when I stopped by her and her boyfriend's stoop sale when they were moving from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn.  I tried to give her $1 for it, but she wouldn't let me.

If you don't follow Ruth Reichl on Twitter, you totally should.  She writes these poetic descriptive tweets that are both lovely and too serious not to be funny. Example:

"Pale sky; no clouds. Boats drifting up the river. Coffee in bed. Crossword puzzle. Bagels; cream cheese; lox. Sunday in New York."


I can't help it--I'm a sucker for the language of food--but that's also a little bit hilarious, right?

This memoir is no different.  It is engaging and funny, and an enjoyable read about how the author learned to love food.  Reichl is a wonderful memoirist.  I particularly liked the parts in which the author describes her relationship with her "aunt" Birdie and Birdie's cook, Alice, and later when young Ruth is sent away to boarding school in Canada to learn French.  I'd like to read more of Reichl's books, maybe Garlic and Sapphires, about her life as a food critic.

Books I've Read: The New York Trilogy (City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room)

by Paul Auster

First of all, my new niece and my parents' first grandchild was born today!  This is VERY EXCITING and I've been happy about it all afternoon.

But anyway, this book.  (Which I actually finished last week, whoops.)  I have had this paperback lying around my apartment, unread, for YEARS.  Years.  Books that fall into this category, the lying around the apartment unread for years category, also include Ulysses and Bleak House, but this little trilogy was much less daunting.

The idea of the author's choice in writing, and whether his point of view can be trusted, is something that I always think about when I read.  This book takes that theme as far as possible, and it will drive a reader crazy if you let it!

Nothing in the story lines told in these three related novellas is really resolved, although the last one does give you a hint about what is going on, which was satisfying enough for me.  I recommend this one for thinkers and lovers of urban fiction, but not for anyone who needs a happy ending.  Or even an ending at all.

Books I've Read: The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee

I'll admit that I picked up this paperback because on the cover it says that  Anthony Bourdain thought it was "Absolutely riveting."  I do love Bourdain.

This is a light read, part history of coffee and part hilarious travelogue - I liked the travelogue parts better than the history parts, but on the whole it is entertaining.  I think it feel quite short of proving its thesis that coffee enlightened humanity, but it is still a fun book for a coffee-lover such as myself.

Here are some memorable quotes:

"Drugs directly alter human behavior, productivity, and even reason.  I'm not saying that medieval man was stupider than his modern cousin.  He was merely decaffeinated and much like you or me before our first cup: grouchy and muddleheaded." (p. 133)


"Coffee and humanity both sprang from the same area in eastern Africa.  What if some of those early ape-men nibbled on the bright red berries?  What if the resulting mental stimulation opened them up to a new way of looking at old problems, much as it did Europeans?  Could this group of berry nibblers be the Missing Link, and that memory of the bright but bitter-tasting fruit be the archetype for the story of the Garden of Eden?" (p. 133-134)


"We [Americans] became a nation of java junkies, wired from dawn to dusk intent on running faster, getting richer, dancing harder, playing longer and getting higher than anybody else."  (p. 199)

Recommended, but don't take it too seriously.

Books I've Read: Stories I Only Tell My Friends

by Rob Lowe

I'm not going to give too much away, because some of the ladies in my book club might read this blog, and we have not yet had our meeting.

I will say that I re-watched The Outsiders movie after reading what Rob Lowe had to say about filming it, and thought it was sad that all of the scenes he was really proud of were cut.  I agree with him, also, that the final product bore only a slight resemblance to the book.  Granted, I haven't read it since high school, but I remember the brothers' relationship being central to the novel, and that theme is nonexistent in the movie.  Too bad.

I loved reading about all the people he has met along the way; the Liza Minnelli anecdote is hilarious.

2011, A Look Back

In 2011, I...

Realized that I have been living in New York for an entire decade.  I moved here in October of 2001.  That's nearly a third of my life!  Crazy.

Ran a MARATHON!  This is the most important thing I did this year, hands down.  I have guaranteed entry to the ING NYC Marathon for 2012, but I'm still on the fence about whether to register and am refusing to commit until the very last minute.

Ran just under 900 miles.  I'm disappointed in this number, but I only have myself to blame because if I had tracked it more closely I could have easily made it to 1000.  I didn't even really look at it until December, when it was too late.  Running 1000 miles is on my to-do list for 2012.

Read approximately 32 books.  Not very many.  This is 1 fewer than I read in 2010, and I didn't attain my ultimate goal of finishing Bleak House.  Also, last December I noted that I hoped to read about a book a week in 2011, a goal I came nowhere near meeting.  Oh, well.   I did make a little bit of headway on the lists I made for myself (a new list is going up soon).

Completed all twelve of the Charcutepalooza challenges.  I learned so much about meat last year, and am proud of my accomplishment.  Curing, sausage-stuffing, etc. - I know how to do those things now, which is cool.  My household's favorite was probably the corned beef, or the pastrami I made for the final project.  Even outside of Charcutepalooza, I cooked a lot at home this year, and I'm proud of that.  In 2012 I plan to focus on learning more about Asian food and flavors, and have been looking at classes and plotting monthly feasts.  I am also thinking of doing a pie or baked good each month, and writing a detailed blog post about those, because although I bake all the time, I rarely write about it or do anything new.  Stay tuned for more on my self-imposed yearly food challenges!  And yes, taste-testers are always welcome at our apartment.

Traveled to: Tampa, Florida for Yankees spring training; India for work (twice); Chicago (twice)--once for my parents' 60th birthday celebration and once over the holidays; Newport, Rhode Island, my newest favorite place; the Midwest, including St. Louis, Missouri, southern Illinois, and the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, for some family time; Bermuda (here's another Bermuda link), which I LOVE; and Charleston and Kiawah Island, South Carolina.  Each trip was special.  This year we are looking forward to another trip to Florida for spring training, a possible European vacation, and lots of other traveling adventures.

Had some fantastic concert experiences, including The Decemberists, Kylie Minogue, Ryan Adams, Wilco, Foo Fighters, and My Morning Jacket.  New York is a great place for lovers of live music.

Ate in at least 75 restaurants, probably more.  My favorites in New York were Eleven Madison Park and WD-50.  I also really liked Fatty 'Cue, Jones Wood Foundry, Go Burger, Red Rooster Harlem, and Riverpark.

Saw lots of good baseball games, and did lots of fun NYC things.  John and I were at the Yankees game during which Mariano Rivera broke the all time saves record previously held by Trevor Hoffman, and we saw a few of the games leading up to Derek Jeter recording his 3,000 hit, but we weren't in attendance at that exact game.  We also rode in the 5 Boro Bike Tour, heard Larry Kudlow and Michael Lewis (among others) speak, went to the ballet, and spent quality time with family and friends.  Oh, and let's not forget experiencing the earthquake and Hurricane Irene!

2011 was a year of a lot personal triumphs, but also some frustrations.  I learned a lot and met some inspiring new people.  Aside from my constant quests to read more and become a better cook, as well as my goal of running 1000 miles, I have in mind a few other things I would like to accomplish in 2012, but I'm keeping those under my hat for now!

Restaurant Ravings: Holiday Eats Edition, December 2011

Happy New Year!

The other day I posted a long list of restaurants I visited over the past few months (something I always mean to do more frequently, but oh, well).  Continuing on, to wrap up December and 2011 my husband and I dined at some great places, so here are some notes about those.

Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY, 23 December 2011.  I think this was the best meal I had all year.  Oh, I loved it so.  To begin, I had a delicious bourbon cocktail while we took a look at the menu, which only provides the main ingredient of each course, so the rest is a surprise.  I chose crab, cauliflower, the two-person duck (to share with John), and the cheese course to end.  Every course was a amazing, but the crab and duck really stood out.  John's lobster and foie gras dishes were also very special.  I did not love the cheese, so if I am lucky enough to dine here again, next time I'll order a real dessert.  After dinner they invited us back to the kitchen and made us a fun cocktail while we watched the kitchen goings-on...awesome!

Bar Toma, Chicago, IL, 24 December 2011.  Christmas Eve morning John and I flew to Chicago, where one of my brothers and his wife live, to spend the holiday weekend with my family. My sister-in-law is quite pregnant (due in January!), so she couldn't travel, but that was all good because we ate some delicious food while we were there.  Bar Toma serves really good pizzas, and we also enjoyed the whole burrata (not as big as advertised, four of us had no trouble taking it down).

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak, & Stone Crab, Chicago, IL, 24 December 2011.  My brother Loren LOVES Joe's, and it is an excellent steakhouse.  They serve a bone-in ribeye that is to die for, and the crabs are always amazing.  Also, don't sleep on the peanut butter pie or the peppermint ice cream desserts.

Pump Room, Public Hotel, Chicago, IL, 25 December 2011.  Both the Pump Room and the Public Hotel were recently re-designed by Ian Shrager, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten renovated the Pump Room's classic menu.  The dining room here is absolutely stunning, and the food is fantastic.  All of the toasts we tried were good, and my pork chop was great (if huge).

Balsan, The Elysian Hotel, Chicago, IL, 26 December 2011.  My mom wanted to have a tiny family baby shower for Karee, so we had a girls lunch at Balsan to do it.  It was great!  We particularly liked the potted eggplant appetizer.

Sunda, Chicago, IL, 26 December 2011.  We almost didn't go here as a group because my parents had been with Loren and Karee before, and they thought it would be too loud.  But, we went, and I'm so glad!  Sunda serves pan-Asian kind of food, which is completely up my alley.  I particularly liked the crab noodles, the rock shrimp tempura, and a pork belly dish they offered as a special that day.  So good.  

The Original Pancake House, Chicago, IL, 27 December 2011.  Dutch baby.  It is a custardy kind of thin pancake served with butter, powdered sugar, and lemon, and it will absolutely blow your mind.

(photo from The Original Pancake House's website)

Ooki Sushi, New York, NY, 30 December 2011.  Sigh, back in New York.  I got a terrible cold last week, so when we made plans with some friends to go to Ippudo for ramen noodles, I was wildly excited.  But, then I showed up before 6PM to put our name on the list, thinking maybe we would eat by 9PM (a long wait is expected, so we planned to chill at a bar nearby in the interim) and the hostess told me it would be a SIX HOUR WAIT.  Whaaaaa?  I mean, I knew that the city was packed with annoying tourists for the New Year's Eve weekend, but a six hour wait for ramen?  That's ridiculous.  We regrouped at a nearby bar and decided to head uptown to get some decent sushi near home.  Ooki serves this tuna pancake appetizer that is delicious, and the wait was approximately zero minutes.  Win!

So, that's it for restaurant dining in 2011.  I can only hope that we enjoy as many fantastic meals in 2012.

Race Report: NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K

Hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend!  I returned from Chicago on Tuesday night toting many wonderful gifts, including a new coat and a Steak 'n Shake gift card (the NYC branch opens in just a few weeks, you know, and I'm beside myself with excitement), so I'm a happy gal.  

Before the holiday I ran the NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K in Central Park.  I had an ambitious time goal in mind, one that I previously mentioned here (and here!), with the idea that saying it out loud might help make it a reality.  That goal was 1:37, or about 10:30/mile pace.  I ran this race in 2010 in 1:42:31, and, after the marathon and a few subsequent successful longish training runs I knew I could probably cut off five minutes from that time.  Deep down, my super secret goal – the one that I thought was so unreasonable that I told almost no one – was to run this race in under 10:00/mile, which take me about 1:32.  NYRR stores its members’ fastest pace per mile and prints it on the bibs for its races, and this pace dictates participants’ bib numbers and where they get to line up before the race.  Faster people nearer to the front, etc.  I have long wanted my bib time to be below a 10:00/mile pace, but never, before this race, thought I was ready to accomplish that.  I have no idea how to “race” a race; I usually just go out there and run around a little bit, based on how I feel.  This is something I want to work on next year. 

The conditions on race day were perfect (for me).  I love cold weather, and that day it was clear and sunny and in the mid 30’s.  A little breezy, but not bad.  I wore capris, a short-sleeved tech tee, my awesome Nike wool half-zip top (recommended!) over it, gloves and a fleece hat.  I wasn't cold at all until later when I was walking home.

The first mile was frustrating, because the course was nutso crowded.  I kept thinking, “Can all these people REALLY run 9.3 miles?  I don’t believe it.  Pick it up.  Get outta my way.”  My first mile was around 10:30, and it felt sloooooow.  I don’t know what was going on in the back of the pack, but I passed tons of people.   (In case you’re new here, this is not normal for me.)

So, then, my second mile was under 9:30!  I knew that I had made up that 30 seconds over my goal pace and was feeling great, so I decided to go for my super secret goal.  The first few miles flew by, and I didn’t feel like walking at all.  I did walk through a water station at mile 5 and sucked down a Gu gel, which I wasn’t sure I needed, but ate anyway only because I was nervous that morning and had not eaten my normal amount of pre-race food. 

When I passed the 10K mark in less than an hour and compared that to my fastest recorded 10K time (1:03, or 10:10/mile pace), I thought that I could definitely lower my bib time and maybe break 1:30 for this race.  Toward the end, I tried to stay steady, keep my head up, and breathe easy, and I didn’t even walk up Cat Hill.  Win!  I finished in 1:29:23, with an average pace per mile of 9:36.  Hooray!  Can you tell that I am mighty excited about this?  I'm improving, and that feels good.

Afterward, I met up with some running friends, and everyone was very pleased with their results, which is always so great to hear.   

Looking forward, I have the Joe Kleinerman 10K on January 7th, and then the Manhattan Half-Marathon on January 21st.  I'm thinking about my goals for those races, and I will be happy with a 10K time under an hour and a half time under 2:15, but I might revise those thoughts based on the conditions and how I am feeling during my training for the [insane] Empire State Building Run-Up.  I'm also shopping for a March Half-Marathon (assuming I don't get in to the NYC Half - the lottery results should be out this week), but am not really looking past that.  

Restaurant Ravings: September through December, 2011

I never had time to flesh out and really write about my restaurant visits this fall, but here is a (looooooong) list and some brief notes, if only for my memory's sake.

Husk, Charleston, SC (1 September 2011).  John and I went to Husk for lunch with my parents before joining a charming walking tour of Charleston.  The food is outstanding.  I particularly remember the rillettes.

Fig, Charleston, SC (1 September 2011).  Fig is a great restaurant.  I had an egg dish that was out of this world, and our service was fantastic.

Ryder Cup Bar, at the Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, SC (2 September 2011).  I never got around to blogging about our trip to Charleston and Kiawah Isand, but I loved it there!  We relaxed, played some golf, and enjoyed spending some time with my parents.  I'd go back in a second, and not only because the food on Kiawah Island is really good.  We had lunch and drinks at the Ryder Cup Bar a couple of times, and it is great because you can watch the golfers approach the clubhouse as they are finishing their rounds.

The Ocean Course.

Tomasso, at the Turtle Point Course, Kiawah Island, SC (2 September 2011).  This place serves good Italian food; I had a caprese salad that was particularly tasty.

Jasmine Room, at The Sanctuary, Kiawah Island, SC (3 and 4 September 2011).  This restaurant is nice, but we had the most bizarre server at dinner one night.  The fried green tomatoes were really good, as were the she crab soup and the shrimp and grits.

Fatty 'Cue, New York, NY (16 September 2011).  When Fatty 'Cue opened up mere blocks from my office, I couldn't wait to try it and made an early evening reservation as soon as I could.  This place is fantastic; everything was delicious.  We had the "Ham Jam Butter & Bread," the "Smoked Brandt Beef Brisket," the chicken and eggplant salad, and some specials.  Next time I want to try the fried rabbit.

Riverpark, New York, NY (25 September 2011).  I've written about Riverpark a few times, and we still love it.

Macelleria, New York City Wine & Food Festival "Charcuterie 101" lunch, New York, NY (1 October 2011).  This event was timely because of my year-long commitment to Charcutepalooza; the charcuterie tasting we did there was excellent for research!  The food was great, and the basement space was rustic and pretty.  I'd like to go back for a regular meal.

Malaka Spice, Pune, India (11 October 2011).  This place is awesome.  Some Indian friends of mine took me and my colleague here for dinner when I was in Pune on business, which was tons of fun.  The food is great, but my friends also know everybody in town, so dinner was festive, with lots of people stopping by.  I particuarly liked the "top hat" appetizer and the lotus root dish.  Also, I'll never forget the crazy rainstorm that was going on when Tushar came to the hotel to fetch us.

The House, New York, NY (16 October 2011).  John and I always like to go out for a date dinner when I return home from traveling for business, and he chose this restaurant after my last trip.  It was nice!  I liked the deviled egg trio and the truffled mac & cheese.

Bar Pleiades, Surrey Hotel, New York, NY (22 October 2011).  My friends and I popped in here for a snack and some drinks after shopping for bridesmaid dresses, and I was very pleasantly surprised.  Daniel Boulud does the food here, and all of the charcuterie tastes were delicious.  Also, the "Horse's Neck" cocktail (with Buffalo Trace, ginger, lemon, and soda) is a delight.  I could go for one right now, actually.

Jones Wood Foundry, New York, NY (22 October 2011).  John met me and my friends here for dinner after our rest stop at Bar Pleiades.  We have been before, and will continue to go back forever.  The meat pies are not to be missed.

Terrapin Restaurant, Rhinebeck, NY (23 October 2011).  After Tracy and I ran the Inaugural Fall Foliage Half Marathon, we looked around Rhinebeck for a little while and had some lunch here.  After a half, all I ever want is a giant cheeseburger and a beer, so that's what I had.  Oh! Also, I never got around to writing my race report, but here is hers!  She said that I'm not allowed to pick races anymore because that course was HILLY, and the mile markers were stupidly wonky.  Fair enough.  It was pretty, though, and the organizers, runners, and spectators were all really nice.

Look at the dude behind me.  He covets my giant pumpkin beer.

After lunch, we checked out the Walkway Over the Hudson.  Tracy is being nosy, despite the strongly-worded signage.

Walkway Over the Hudson.

Dairy Queen, Hyde Park, NY (23 October 2011).  Obviously while Tracy and I were in upstate New York running races and eating lunch and walking over the Hudson, we made a pilgrimage to Dairy Queen.  Duh.  I'm certain that the promise of a Dairy Queen visit is the only reason she agreed to do this race with me.  I had the pumpkin pie Blizzard.  It was incredible.

Yep.  Proudly wearing my medal.  

Tamarind Tribeca, New York, NY (29 October 2011 and 3 November 2011).  John and I first went here on a date night, but we liked it so much that we took my parents and my dad's training partner and his wife the next week when they all came in for the marathon.  Our visitors had never really tried Indian food, so we ordered an assortment of dishes.  Their dal makhni is really good, and if they have the cauliflower appetizer special when you go, get it!  

Sarabeth's, New York, NY (4 November 2011).  I met my mom and dad here for breakfast before we all went to the ING New York City Marathon expo at the Javitz Center.  I love the porridge there, and we spotted Katie Couric at the next table over.

At the race expo with my dad.

Patsy's Pizzeria, New York, NY (5 November 2011).  I was super anxious the day before the marathon, and convinced myself that I needed to get myself to Lululemon to buy a short-sleeved shirt that I most certain NEEDED because the weather was looking warmer than expected.  I ended up wearing the long-sleeved shirt I already had, and returning the one I bought in a panic, but on the trip I met my mom and dad for a carby pizza lunch.

Paola's, New York, NY (5 November 2011).  Madison Avenue Italian restaurant for pre-race pasta.  This place is nice, but the high prices definitely reflect the neighborhood.

York Grill, New York, NY (6 November 2011).  After the marathon, my dad and I and all of our fans went for dinner at York Grill, which is conveniently across the street from where I live.  I was feeling weird and didn't eat much, but the staff was SO congratulatory and kind.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, New York, NY (12 November 2011).  This day was fun!  It started with a beer run in Brooklyn, moved on to sharing a giant cupcake with runner friends, and ended at Dinosar Bar-B-Que.  I'm actually kind of "meh" on their ribs, but those chicken wings rock.

Rouge Tomate, New York, NY (26 November 2011).  I had been meaning to try this restaurant forever, so I randomly made a reservation for John and I on a date night.  They source locally and serve seasonal, nutritional fare.  I thought the food was great; we particularly liked the seasonal toasts and the butternut squash soup.

Serafina, New York, NY (6 December 2011).  I actually don't like this place that much, but we needed a quick dinner before the Ryan Adams concert at Carnegie Hall.  The calamari was really good, which was a nice surprise, but I was in an uncomfortable spot on a curved booth seat, crowded by the overweight lady and her many shopping bags beside me.  The concert was great, though.

Essex, New York, NY (10 December 2011).  I had "The Aristocrat" platter, which is fantastic.  Potato pancakes, eggs, yum.  And a side of crispy  bacon, of course.  This day involved a Jingle Bell Jog in Brooklyn and a Santacon experience, so click here to read all about that.

Loreley, New York, NY (10 December 2011).  The Köstritzers and pretzel basket hit the spot. Santacon.

Pan Asian, New York, NY (10 December 2011).  After my big Santacon day out, John and I went for some neighborhood Chinese.  The food here was surprisingly good; we had normal stuff, dumplings and scallion pancakes, string beans, chicken, etc., and left happy.

Sarabeth's, New York, NY (13 December 2011).  Back again!  John and I both took this random Tuesday off work, and used it to sleep late, go to brunch, wander around, and go to a Rangers hockey game.   The lemon ricotta pancakes here are the stuff of dreams.  John's burger was really good, too.

Southern Hospitality, New York, NY (13 December 2011).  Went before the Rangers game.  The pulled pork nachos are amazing, but the fried pickles here are surprisingly lackluster.  How can a fried pickle NOT be delicious?  That's unclear, but this place manages to accomplish it.  Too bad.

Dallas Jones BBQ, New York, NY (22 December 2011).  Lunch with C.  Shared pulled chicken sandwich and half rack of baby back ribs.  Love this place, will definitely get lunch again, because it is close by my office and has amazing lunch specials I didn't even know existed.

Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY (23 December 2011).  This dinner is happening TONIGHT, and I cannot wait!  I'm sensing that it will deserve its own blog post.

We are off to Chicago tomorrow to spend some holiday time with my family, so I'm sure there will be lots of good food to be eaten and written about...stay tuned for that.  Happy holidays, everyone!