sxsw

I made it to Texas! First new state of the year checked off and now I've gone to a music festival. In typical spring break fashion, I met up with my college friends. Our friend Sara lives in Austin, so 5 of us invaded for SXSW—oh and to celebrate her 30^th and St. Patty’s Day.

It was 5 fun-filled days with music and beer. Just about every venue or open space had bands playing all day and night. Luckily we were staying walking distance from downtown, so we just music-hopped (or bar-hopped) all the way through Austin. The weather was super nice too—so shorts weather and drinking outside!

Band outdoors in Austin

Some highlights were General Fiasco—an Irish band—playing Wednesday night at a local bar. We also checked out an outdoor Shins concert. And even though it sucked getting up early, we went to the live broadcast of KGSR on Friday. We saw ZZ Ward, Graffiti6, and Fun. perform a a few songs apiece as we enjoyed chicken and waffles. I was a bit sleepy, but it was worth it. There were many other good highlights and a small number of not-so-good highlights. Overall good music all over the place.  

The Shins

My local Texan thing was going to Shiner, Texas to visit Spoetzl Brewery. My friends suggested kissing a cowboy, but all I saw in Austin were hipsters. It may have been possible that Brooklyn transplanted for the weekend. So instead of kissing a cowboy (or a hipster), I decided that drinking a new and local beer totally counted instead. Oh and we had some delish Texan BBQ to go with it.

Shiner, Texas

I spent the whole time goofing off with old friends, listening to music, eating Mexican and drinking too much beer. Bring on next year!

Always better.

spring training

I checked off another thing off my 2012 list! I went to a spring training game… well make that 3 of them. I’ve been to many Yanks' game and I try to visit ball stadiums when I get the chance. I do have a goal of going to all of them—assuming they are all still around. I figured it would be fun to go to spring training—and Florida was even better.

My friend Andrea and I made our way to Tampa this past weekend with the purpose of stalking Jeter, Swisher, and all the rest of the Yankees. We were somewhat successful. We left cold and sunny NYC and arrived in warm and cloudy Tampa—yes something was wrong with that picture. We relaxed a bit and had some delish brunch at Daily Eats to prep for the upcoming days of baseball.

Game 1

First game was against the Phillies. It was split team, so unfortunately Swisher and his fellow outfielders weren’t there, but we were able to get in some quality Jeter, Cano and A-Rod time in. And when I say quality time, I mean they ran by us very quickly 10 feet in front of us. Hey—I’ll take it. We got to George Steinbrenner Field about 2 hours before the game to scope it out and try to get some autographs. We were unsuccessful with the autographs, but did get some photos. We made our way to our section to relax in the hot Florida sun with a beer in hand. We went on to beat the Phillies 3-0.

Game 2

Second game up was against the Astros. Yeah, not too exciting you’d think, but it ended up being much better than the day before since we got some Swisher goof-off time and A-Rod’s autograph! We were literally right next them during batting practice. I got so many photos, it was ah-mazing. Unfortunately the Astros beat us 3-4. Even with the support of the 8-year old boy who was screaming his head off. He did get upgraded to first row though. I should try that at Yankee Stadium.

Game 3

Big game against the Red Sox. Ok… it’s not post-season, so not that big. Especially given we lost—in the 9^th inning. It was a slow start, but we got some batting practice time with Cervelli and Cano. It was another good night for ball. Granted the foul balls provided a lot of the excitement. But I’m now ready for April!

Next up—new state (Texas) and a little SXSW fun!

february book update

Time for my February book update! I had a nice mix of classics, young adult and comedic books to round out the month.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

I started Bossypants towards the end of January and finished it pretty quickly. It was pretty funny. I mean it is Tina Fey. Of course it was going to be funny. But as someone who doesn’t really watch 30 Rock or followed her SNL career too closely, I wasn’t too familiar with her as much as others. I of course have seen a few SNL skits, including her impersonations of Sarah Palin. You would have to live in a bubble if you've never seen them.

Tina puts a comedic spin on various points of her life and how she got to this point in her life. I did think she was funny before reading the book, but now I definitely need to catch up on 30 Rock. I guess it’s time to get my hands on the last few seasons.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

I borrowed Slaughterhouse Five from a co-worker. This has been a book that I kept seeing at the bookstore and on various lists of books to read. I saw my co-worker Dan reading it, so I figured it was time to do it.

It was a pretty good book. Like with any book that has time travel or flips back and forth between different decades, it takes a while to adjust to that style. Billy Pilgrim is a POW of WWII and experiences time travel, or so he thinks, all the way from his childhood to the point when he is murdered. The murder isn’t really that exciting. Just some dude who vows revenge for his war buddy that falsely states that Billy had something to do with his death.

Not only does Billy time travel through his life, but he is also captured by aliens. Yup. Aliens. The story mainly centers on the bombing of Dresden during the war. Apparently this was supposed to be funny. I didn’t find it too humorous. I seriously considered Billy was experiencing post-traumatic syndrome. Or at least somehow it was a dream.

Fall Girl by Marybeth Smith

My theme has been reading a classic, and then reading some random easy book that I downloaded for free on my kindle. And this was one of them. This definitely wasn't a classic, and didn’t require much thinking. A bunch of teenage drama that was slightly entertaining. An interesting element was one of the characters had bipolar disorder. At the end of the book, I found that that author actually has bipolar. It was free and super quick to read so I didn’t mind it too well.

The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

This was suggested for my book club since one of the members knows the author. Again, this was another Young Adult book with some teenage drama. However, less drama that the previous book. It takes place in small town Kentucky, where a teenage girl is trying to fit in her high school. The small-town girl in me could relate to some of the aspects of the story.

We actually had a Q&A over Skpe with the author a couple of weeks ago. Which was pretty cool. It was nice to hear a bit more how the book was related to her own life. And I’m now headed to Kentucky in April. Bring on Derby Days!

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Ok. Enough with the teen drama. Time for another classic. Another dystopian book. I didn’t realize there were so many of them. All futures are apparently very bleak.

I enjoyed reading this book and it was also very quick read.  Literally, it was one page=1%. The shortest book so far on my kindle.

Like other Ayn Rand books, I liked it. I do feel it is time to re-read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I will plan to do that soon, since it’s been more than 6 years.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling

Another funny book! So I don’t watch The Office. I know lots of people who do. And apparently it’s funny. I believe them. However, I had never heard of Mindy Kalning before my friend recommended it for book club.

It was funny. Definitely some very humorous parts. My friend thought it was way funnier. She was laughing out loud when I was reading Slaughterhouse Five. Very rude I thought. I was reading something depressing and she was laughing out loud. Anyway I do recommend this book for a good laugh.

I’m currently in the middle of Faithful Place by Tana French. Another Dublin crime drama. The 3rd in the author's series and it’s a page turner. I’ll let you know how it goes next month!

9/30 books in 2012.

new state update

I haven’t done too much on my list yet and we are about 2 months into 2012. But no worries. I’m a bit more relaxed about this year’s list since there are only 12 things I’m going to do as opposed to 30! And some of these will have to wait for warmer weather. However, I do have #1 planned out.

I’m a big geography nerd. Especially when it comes to the US of A. You know that game that Chandler plays with the group on Friends where they have to come up with all 50 states? I love that game and occasionally play by myself. I also like to guess the capitals. When it comes to the world I like to try to get as many countries as I can, but there are just too many and there is like a new country every day. Whenever there is a map laying around, I have this urge to study it. I'm a nerd.

A life goal of mine is to visit all 50 states. I made it more interesting by setting a goal to visit all 50 before I turn 50. Good thing I have 20 years to go. So far I’ve visited 21 states in 30 years. Only 29 to visit in the next 2 decades. I think I can do it. And 3 of them will be checked off this year.  

It looks like I have my 3 new states planned! Next month I’ll be hitting up Texas in a big way. In April, Kentucky will get celebrated Derby-style. And in August, what better way to get to know this small state, than to run 13.1 miles around it. I’m hoping to add a couple of more states, but for now this is a good start!

Stay tuned for how these (and other trips) turn out!

2012 race plan

I haven’t blogged too much about running this year. Only to complain about stupid guys who have a problem with girls being faster than them. It’s all good. I’ll just keep running faster.

Moving on… a couple of weeks ago I signed up for my 6^th marathon. I can’t believe I’m running another one. Coming from the girl who said she’d never do one—ever. It’s in my DNA to keep trying at something until I get what I want to achieve. And since Boston has continued to elude me, I gotta keep trying. And it’s too late now. I paid the $150, so I’m running Chicago this October with my friend Lindsay.

My goal is to obviously BQ. Even though I checked if off my 30 list last year, I didn’t technically do it. Shocking I know. I broke 3:40—which was my goal at the beginning of 2011, but then Boston decided to change their standards later in the year. I now have to get 3:35. So that is my running goal for this year—again. Except Chicago is notorious for having non-ideal running conditions. For too many years there were ridiculous heat waves in October and one year it was incredibly cold. And since I’ve been lucky with pretty good running weather for the last 5 races, this year is the one that is bound to be not ideal. Knock on wood. Seriously. Do it. Given that, I'll try my best, but I will also acknowledge that some things are out of my control. As much as I would like to think they are.

Last year was a bit nutty with traveling for work, but this year, hopefully it won’t be as much. I should be able to get into a nice running routine, which may or may not include a running team. For my last 3 marathons I’ve pretty much trained on my own. I’ve gone to a few speed classes, but due to work it didn’t happen as much as I would have liked. I also didn’t make it a priority. This year that will change. I’ll also explore joining a running team that will take me. I would like to find a team that will take me and my slow ass, but will also challenge me. I think NYAC is out of the picture. Last I checked, I won’t be competing in the 2016 Olympic Trials.

My yearly marathon is usually the big race that culminates my year of running. Usually it’s the last major race I do—minus our local Turkey Trot of course! In the months leading up to it, I usually do a bunch of shorter distances, including ½ marathons. So far I’m officially signed up for three ½ marathons.

First up is the Vermont City Marathon Relay Memorial Day weekend. Since it’s a relay, I plan to run ½ the distance of the full marathon. As of now, my sister Emily will be the other leg. A couple of friends may also sign up and run the full marathon. I’ve never done a marathon relay, so this should be fun. And as a celebration, I decided that I will be visiting Magic Hat Brewery.

I also plan to do a couple of ½ marathons with Rock ‘n Roll and in August will make my way to Providence. In September, I will run Philly for the 6^th year in a row. When I first ran that race in 2007, I didn’t realize I would be running it every year since then. Let’s see how long I can keep the streak going.

Other than that, I may sign up for the Brooklyn ½ in May and do a bunch of smaller races. I’d like to get a faster 5k or 4-miler at some point. I would also love to another relay similar to Ragnar. Let's see what 2012 brings! .

Check back for more updates! And I leave you with this:

super bowl sunday

This isn’t on my list for 2012, but since it was on my 30 list last year and I did it again for the 2^nd year running, I had to add it—polar bear plunge!

On Sunday, my friends, Sara and Emily, and I decided to jump into 40-degree water—more specifically the Atlantic at Long Beach. Sarah is the one that asked if we were doing it again, and since my brother did one on New Year’s Day, and I'm not shy when it comes to cold water, I figured why not.

Luckily the weather turned out pretty similar to last year—40’s and sunny. Not a bad day to hang out in your bikini and take a dip. It was cold. Just like last year. But the beers we had prior to the jump helped—a lot. Also, there was so much energy and excitement. Thousands of people showed up, and I think even more to show Giants pride. I mean, we got to the Super Bowl against all doubts and ended up beating the Pats. Just like in 2008. The way I like it. Another good outcome to a New York/Boston rivalry.

We stripped down, ran with loads of other people into the ocean, went under, and got our butts right back out. Afterwards (after drying up and putting warm clothes on), I made my way home to get ready to watch some football! The game wasn’t overly exciting, but did get a bit nerve-wracking there for a bit. The Giants came through in the end and a whole bunch of revelers watched the players go up the Canyon of Heroes yesterday. Unfortunately I decided to go to work. Oh well, next time!

Also, I think we’ve started a new tradition, and every year I’m in NYC for the Super Bowl, I will plan to jump in the Atlantic that afternoon. Brrrr.

P.S. Donate to Make a Wish.

january book update

Since my last book post, I’ve read a few more books. Have I mentioned that I love my kindle? It does beat carrying around heavier books. Anyways, this isn’t about raving on about my e-reader…. Let’s move onto the books I read last month!

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

This is a memoir written by a Chinese-American mother raising her Chinese-American-Jewish daughters. Amy Chua highlights her parenting tactics with a mostly Chinese influence—well pretty much an only Chinese influence.

You see the extreme parenting typically seen with Chinese families and how that differs from the stereotypical American parenting. Obviously I only know of American parenting with my own experience with American parents—which is not indicative of all American families. Just my own.

In the book, I think there were definitely some extreme actions taken, but I could also see some of the humor that Amy tried to pull through. I didn’t grow up in a strict household—I think there were too many of us for my parents to be strict, but somewhere along the line hard work was instilled in us. I was never rewarded for making honor roll like other kids, but I do think there was some level of expectation when it came to work. But my parents didn’t harp on it. Like I said, there was just too many of us. Maybe since I was the oldest, I took my homework and dedication a bit more seriously.

I obviously don’t have children, but it does get you thinking about what approach is the best one when raising kids. I guess I’ll find out some day. But my kids won’t be rewarded for doing good work. They will be expected to do good work and to work hard. I want them to question what they are being taught, but be respectful and not complain unless it’s warranted.

Honestly, I think I could go on and on about this book and would love to discuss this more. This past Sunday, a group of us went to a discussion with the author on the Upper East Side at the 92Y. It was nice to see the author discuss the book and provide a bit more background on her memoir. I do think she did go to an extreme with her kids, but I also think it’s obvious that she cares for her children. Which I think is definitely important. High expectations are good too. I think it grows confidence and is good to draw on throughout life.

Like I said before, I could go on and on, but I won’t. time to move on to the other books I read last month!

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I finally finished Little Women. Now I’ve already read this book. A couple of times. Like 15+ years ago. I decided to read again, but in the midst of reading it, I read about 5 other books. It’s not on my list for 2012 and it doesn’t count for the year since I started in 2012, but still wanted to blog about it anyway.

Luckily it’s been so long since I last read it, that there were some things I forgot. I mean, you can’t forget Beth dying—the saddest part of the whole book. Sorry if I ruined it for everyone, but I would hope you’ve read it by now. I still go back and forth on how Amy gets Laurie in the end, even though Jo is cool with it. My roommate did suggest I read Jo’s Boys since I never have. I’ll have to read that and Little Men sometime.

1984 by George Orwell

I read Animal Farm last year for my 30 list and since I downloaded both as one book on my Kindle, I still had to read 1984. Before I forgot about it, I began reading it after Little Women.

This book is similar to Brave New World, which I read last year, in regards to its dystopian society. As with every book, I get lost in the story and imagine myself as part of the story and always wonder how I would act in certain situations.

So what if I lived in a world where you pretty much had no freedom and was full of lies? I think if I knew my current life and something changed drastically, I would do something about it. But what if I was born in this type of society? Would I make an effort to rebel? I have no idea. I’d like to think I would. But I don’t really know.

I was a bit disappointed in how the book ended. I mean, I didn’t see there being a rebellion of some sort since those in power had too much influence and their torture was just too extreme. It does make you somewhat grateful for current society though. Even though there’s always room for improvement.

After I finished 1984, I started to read Utopia by Thomas More, but couldn’t finish it. I thought I had read it before, but it seems I haven’t. I wasn’t really paying attention, so I decided to give it a break and read it some other time.

The Grimm Curse (Once Upon a Time is Now) by Stephen Carpenter

I downloaded this free on my kindle and figured it would be a quick read. And it was. It took me like 4 days. I also downloaded it because it sounded similar to the new Grimm series on NBC. Turns out the author is one of the writers on the show.

The writing wasn’t at its best as far as I’m concerned, but it was good enough from a Young Adult point of view. And since the author contributes to the show, I was ok with it. The premise in the book is the same as on the show, but definitely different plot.

I started Bossypants by Tina Fey a couple of days ago and will highlight in my February update. So far it’s funny—as expected.

3/30 books in 2012 done.