shoe romance

You know how I wear these on bike rides?


It's because I can't not feel cute; it goes against my nature. These shoes may be ratty as hell, but they're better than my $18 Target no-name sneakers.

I'm usually all for frugality and simple pleasures; but I've also always loved shoes. Red shoes, platforms, clogs, boots, purple shoes, green shoes, heels, ballet flats. I love them. When I take up a new hobby, it's invariably a good excuse to get new footwear.

So when I started cycling, I was counting down the days until I proved to myself I was taking it seriously enough to get cute shoes. And the day has come (what with our Sunday bike rides, the Creeper Trail adventure, and some solo bike rides that I've taken up fearlessly).

So I got these!!!



I've wanted Saucony originals since I was in college (where all the cool girls were wearing them). That was 10 years ago. And you know what? There's no math behind it, but waiting 10 years to get something I really wanted totally justified me paying full price. Right?

Also ... pink? I'm not normally a pink girl, but I've always been a red shoe girl; this was the closest to red, and I think they may be turning me pink ...

(PS: they're vegan! Bonus.)

links from all over, wherein we read about microwaves, aprons, bread!

Living Without a Microwave (Re-nest). In the world of simplifying, this is in the back of my mind somewhere. I'd say Patrick and I use the microwave most to reheat dishes. What did the author do about that? Just reheat on the stove. I actually prefer that ... our microwave sucks, and there's something about heat directly coming in contact with food that makes it tastier. Imagination? In any case, this is at the bottom of our "simplify" list, but it's good to see someone else having success at it.

Harvest (Kath Eats Real Food). OK, I just discovered Kath, and basically I'm in love. The photography is gorgeous, the food even more beautiful. I especially love her harvest oatmeal buffet, though. The indulgence of a buffet, the whole-grain goodness of oats. Bonus: feels just like fall.

Great whole grain cereal loaf! (The Fresh Loaf). One day — when I'm a grown-up bread-baker — this is the bread I'm going to make sure we always have fresh-made in the house.

Sew Amazing (Sifting Through). My friend Melizza made that apron! And then, I happen to know, pizza dough. It's her direction on bread-making that's gonna get me in the kitchen, kneading. This week. Today? And then I'll have to see about sewing myself an apron ...

My First 10K (Loser for Life). When I read about accomplishments like Marisa's I'm so inspired to keep pushing and setting higher goals for myself. I actually asked Patrick the other day what the best first bike race would be for me to enter, being a newbie. (He said cyclocross, by the way, which would keep me safe from the masses of riders you get in road races [not ready!], and give me time to hone my skills before I tackle the narrow, knobby trails of a mountain bike race.)

Happy reading!

favorite meals: hummus & veg sandwich

The loveliest thing about vegetables is how high you can pile them without overindulging. The other loveliest thing is all that flavor.



some things i especially love about this meal:
- the crunchiness of the celery or pepper, which gives my tooth something to work against, which somehow makes it eat more like a meal
- the saltiness of the olives
- whole grain goodness. There's something I find almost sweet about whole grain breads, but not sugary sweet ... more like an earthy, nutty sweetness. In any case, it's got complex flavor, and it provides two servings from my daily grains food group. (Note: when I took pictures, we only had whole wheat bread in the house.)

a note on balancing points
I may add a dozen tortilla chips, with Patrick's rendition of my dad's salsa recipe (3 points all-told); an apple for dessert (1 extra point). But there was a day when eating 7 points in one sandwich (stacked with vegetables as it may be) seemed ... like a waste? Like I wasn't getting my money's worth?

This is something I'm trying to get over: the idea that I should eat as much food for as few points as possible. Because I don't know how healthy that attitude is. This sandwich is nutritious, appropriately filling. It may fit conveniently in the palm of my hand, but it's full of color, flavor.

Food satisfaction shouldn't come from hugeness, nor should it come from feats of limitation. This is, I guess, where learning balance is key. Count me as a pupil.







hummus & veg sandwich, 6.5 points
whole grain bread (2 slices, 3 oz), 4 pts
hummus (1 1/2 oz), 1.5 pts
crunchy veg (usually celery or bell pepper) (3 oz), 0 pts
tomato (1 roma, 3 oz), 0 pts
fresh spinach (1 oz), 0 pts
olives (2, each halved), 0 pts
feta (1/2 oz), 1 pts

sunday rides are here to stay

Because I love them. Patrick and I headed out to recreate a ride we did several weeks ago, when I still just had a mountain bike at my disposal. I listed it as one of my Stinger goals when I knew the bike was headed for an overhaul.

I'd originally thought a long ride on a road bike would be harder for me; mostly I was nervous about what seems to be a more unstable posture over the bike ... and those hand positions: so far from my seat! But honestly — and I've said it before — that road position is ultimately more comfortable. And the thin road tires make for a smoother, quicker ride. I find it easier to keep my speed up on Stinger.

ride highlights


Coffee & donuts. By a stroke of good luck, we ran out of coffee beans at home, so just had to stop by Old City Java to get our morning cup. Where we also got an apple spice donut. Fuggedaboutit. Also, a fresh pour of coffee is exactly right before 15 more miles on a bike.

Pedaling along the flats at 14 mph. Half the reason this feels good is I know I didn't have to keep up a good clip but I did anyway; the other half is that I felt like I was in good shape as I was doing it. It's not an incredible speed, but it's faster than I usually rode at zero incline. Progress!

Learning how to shift. I've got some experience on bikes, but I'd never ridden one with shifters affixed to the stem. Changing gears means I have to balance my ride with one hand, find my shifter with the other, and keep pedaling as I shift. I'm new enough that this is still a freaking big deal. It's meant until this ride that I usually spend more time in the wrong gear than I want to, because I've not been comfortable enough to make the change. But by the end of this ride, I was feeling a little expert.

Riding down the hill of doom. There's a slope just after one of the left-hand turns. The first time we did this ride, I turned and jumped off of the bike; it was ominous. I knew it was coming this time and I was nervous but determined. So this time: we turned and I immediately put on my brakes, but I stayed on the bike. Accompanied by screaming and expletives. "Mother flipper [actually said it] I feel like I'm on a f-cking rollercoaster holy sh-t!" Patrick, meanwhile? Laughing. Hysterically. So next time my goal: no cursing. Time after that: let off the brakes.

Riding up the hill of doom. Different hill. When we got back to the neighborhood, I deviated from our normal ride home because, see, there's this hill. I felt so good from my other feats that I thought I'd at least give this one hill a go. My little monologue: "doesn't hurt to try; it's OK if I get off my bike; there's only one way to know." I sped through a little downhill that precedes the up, shifted to my lowest gear (!!), then I climbed. And did it. And seriously: huge grin on my face all the way home. I even swayed on my bike.

weekend warrior

Productivity, fueld by coffee (PS: I totally photoshopped myself a clear complexion ... forehead pimple! I almost gave myself more eyebrows, too ... )

OK, OK. So I admitted to falling down a little with the no-tracking thing. That's Step 1.

Step 2 is to get back into warrior stance and do some stuff. Including starting to track food again. Hey, wanna see my spreadsheet? I knew you did! I'll explain how it works in a future writeup.

It's nearly ridiculous how much focus this tracking thing brings to my food decisions.

I recorded my breakfast, and I've already written out my lunch (hummus sandwich with veg and feta). I'll be going out to dinner with Patrick this evening and I know I have 6 points left for the day (plus a few extra weekly points if I want to use them). I'll probably drink a beer (3 points) and have a piece of pizza (5 points).

And you know what? I don't feel deprived. I feel in control and happy to know I'm making good choices.

other plans for the weekend
A nice long walk. I haven't exercised since our long ride along the Creeper Trail. I could go to the gym or get on my bike, but after such a long absence — and being in need of re-centering — a walk is perfect. I love, love, long walks. I like the fresh air and the time to reflect.

Brewer's Jam! Patrick and I are going to help man the homebrew club's booth, and I plan on having fun, drinking beer (counting points, of course), and helping my husband hand out tasters. I also designed the homebrewers' tab cards, which was a super fun good time. Aren't they nice?

Write up the next entry in my tracking tools how-to. I can't just let a series sit unattended! I may even write up the third entry, too. (My first entry in the series, by the way).

23-mile bike ride! It's one of my Stinger goals, to replicate a ride Patrick and I took several weeks ago when I still just had a mountain bike. When I originally set the goal I'd assumed it would be a big deal to ride that far on a road bike, but after our neighborhood tour a few weeks ago, I think it's gonna be pretty comfortable. Still, it's sitting there, unfinished. Oh, and it'd be our Sunday bike ride. Another goal, chipped away!

Here's to getting up and dusting yourself off ...

why tracking my food is important

Omuhgod I've started this blog entry about five bajillion times. Because it's half reflection, half confession and I don't know which one should come first.

bullet points
- Tracking is important to me because it helps me focus on healthy decision-making.
- I have not tracked for at least a month. Isn't this funny? Because I've just finished part one of four-part series detailing how I built my tracking tools.

This may read very heavy, but I share it with a light heart, and the objectivity of a lab study. These are facts (for myself) I'm laying out. Some of them talk about guilt and shame and the like, but I don't feel guilt or shame for having an area that needs improvement. I think of this as the coach telling me I really need to work on my follow-through, because I keep sending the baseball directly to right field.

what it means & what happens when i don't track
Not tracking my food is something like a harbinger; it's also something like a symptom. Not tracking usually comes as the result of something; but it also results in things. Some background on what tracking does do for me ...

Tracking assigns eating cues. I have never (ever) been someone who eats out of hunger. Left to my own devices, I grab the food that tastes good and that I imagine will make me happy in that moment. It doesn't matter if that moment is 8 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m. When I track my food — within a context of how much is appropriate to eat in a given day — I'm much more aware of how much fuel my body actually needs.

Tracking brings focus. My good habits require attention in a way that my bad habits don't. Tracking food is a ritual I repeat throughout the day, throughout the week. It requires me to stop and think about the food I choose to eat, and to answer for the decisions I make. That attention to cause and effect is enough to help me make good decisions. I feel more power to wait between meals, or to snack smartly.

... then when I'm not tracking ...

I lose focus. When I lose that sense of direction (sometimes for very innocuous things, like happy celebration times), I tend to let my good habits fall aside. I fill in idle moments with a bite of cheese, or a mindless grab at chips. Without innate hunger cues (which I suppose I may never gain), I have no idea if I've eaten too much on any given day (and usually the answer that I conveniently avoid by not tracking is that I have, indeed, eaten too much).


Giving in. ... to the cheese. And bread and butter. Cookie dough. More cheese. Things that don't contribute to my nutritional needs for the day. Indulgences. Every day. Isn't indulgence meant to be occasional? Isn't it meant to be special? I have nothing against the cheese, or bread and butter, or cookie dough. I think they're all a fine part of a healthy diet. But within the context of mindfulness.


I feel I have a terrible secret. Because when I'm not tracking, I give myself a pass to eat whatever I want, whenever. And that feels really good in the moment. And I don't want to give up those moments. So I keep them to myself. And a secret is terrible. Mostly, it reflects shame or a level of self-awareness that I'm not willing to face. This is food for Christ's sake! I should feel empowered enough to admit that I ate that block of cheese, damnit, and I won't let it get in my way of making the right decision next time! But I don't admit it, and keeping it to myself becomes a reason to make the next bad decision.


so, i confessed
Officially, I suppose. And it won't be the last time (it certainly hasn't been the first). But I would like to gain something for next time, maybe cut it off earlier in the pass.

tiny celebration of old accomplishments

Patrick came across this photo on the right from our very first trip on the Creeper Trail (we started in Damascus for that trip, up to White Top, back to Damascus for 28 miles). It also coincides with my very first few weeks on Weight Watchers.

While I'm in the midst of trying to get in serious shape these days, it would do me well to remember how far I've come since I first decided to get my weight under control.