Practice Serendipity

Wildlife Prairie Park 4 mile Trail run

2010-04-29T09:24:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday I ran the Wildlife Prairie Park Trail run. 4 miles of dirt, rocks, roots, hills, and valleys. Weather was perfect, which I wasn't anticipating, and so I overdressed by wearing capris instead of shorts. Sunny sky with just enough breeze to keep it pleasant.

Pre-race nerves as usual. Excellent race shirt! They were particular about distributing the size shirt you had requested on your race form--so mine fit!! Yay! (You know, race shirts that don't fit because they passed out all the smalls to people who don't know their size is one of my pet peeves.)

The race: I took it pretty easy. I ran with a very friendly retired surgeon named Rich. He was great fun! I realize just now that all the people I run with at Team Steam are women, and I miss running with men. Not that women aren't good running buddies too, but... So I ran with Rich, and since he's doing the Champaign marathon this next weekend, we took it easy.

My time is nothing to be proud of: 45:34. But, it was fun!

Now, talking about times, these are the times that have been recorded at Team Steam workouts:

4/6
2 mile ave pace: 10:23/mi

4/10
2 mile ave pace: 10:29/mi
2 mile ave pace: 11:19/mi

4/13
400 repeats: at paces: 8:04, 8:20, 8:36, 8:08, 7:52, 8:00, 8:16/mile

4/15
2 mile ave pace: 9:51/mi
2 mile ave pace: 10:17/mi

4/27
5k (3.1 mile) ave pace: 9:37/mile
5k (3.1 mile) ave pace: 10:02/mile

I'll plot them on a graph soon, but I can already see I'm improving, yay!

Running Data!!

2010-04-22T01:04:00.002-05:00

400 m/1/4 mile repeat data from 4/13 is posted!

My times: 8:04 mile/mile pace, 8:20, 8:36, 8:08, 7:52, 8:00, 8:16.

____

2 mile loops x2 from 4/15 (1st mile up hill, 2nd mile down hill)

1st 2 mile loop: 9:51 min/mile pace, total: 19:41
2nd 2 mile loop: 10:17 min/mile pace, total: 20:33

Goal set: get a 2 mile loop in the 8s!

Track Day - 1/2 mile repeats

2010-04-20T23:01:00.000-05:00

-Warm-up: 1 mile run to/from the cemetery
-15 minutes of 1/2 mile repeats on the track = 1.25 miles
-5 min rest
-15 minutes of 1/2 mile repeats - 1 mile.

Total: 3.25

And yesterday I went swimming for the first time in over a year. 1000 yds. It was surprisingly easy!

Man, the hills!

2010-04-15T22:04:00.002-05:00

Today we ran around the cemetery. But don't think creepy, or boring, or plain. No, that's not how Peoria does a cemetery. Think a quaint creek, hills to make your legs burn, purple blossomed-trees, and just enough headstones scattered so that you know that you're in a cemetery, but you could almost not notice.

Apparently this is part of the Steamboat Classic. I'm starting to really look forward to that race. Aside from being a very challenging race (with all the hills), it's very pretty scenery! Different from Chicago's lakefront, but no less pretty.

Today's work out:

-1/2 mile warm-up (Should've been 1 mile, but I showed up at 6:01 and missed the proper instructions--these guys run a tight ship!)
-2 mile loop. First mile is basically up hill, 2nd mile mostly downhill
-3 minute rest
-2 mile loop repeat
-1/2 power walk back to car

Total: 4.5-5 with hellahills

Eric, I wish you could be here running these runs. You'd love 'em!!!

Another fun running day!

2010-04-14T13:17:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's Workout:

-0.6 mile (I heard it was) warmup run down to the "Goose Loop." The Goose Loop is a D-shaped paved loop down by the river just south of the Komat'su plant. It's called the Goose Loop because it's a very popular hang out place for Canada Geese, and they leave lots of presents on the track. Running near the lake though is nice because there's a big of a breeze.
-15 minutes of 1/4 mile repeats w/ partner, with walking breaks
-5 minute water/rest
-15 minutes of 1/4 mile repeats
-0.6 mile cool down (uphill) run. Nothing like a cool down uphill run. :) I LOVE the hills here! Beat that one, Chicago. Also, these runners are really friendly. Which is to be expected as they are runners AND Peorian.

Total: 3.2-ish miles

I was beet red again when I got home. Yes, I am a competitive recreational jogger.

I love Team Steam!

2010-04-08T20:03:00.004-05:00

Today's workout:

-1 mile warm-up, along the creek (this seems like a standard thing)
(a short rest)
-2.6 mile timed "endurance and strength" run: along the creek, in the cemetery like yesterday's 2 mile, then an extra 0.6 up a very very very steep hill! Very steep. (I assume my chip times will be posted tomorrow.)
(3 min or so rest)
-2.6 mile repeat.

Total: 6.2 miles!! Yay! And it feels great. My hamstrings felt really tight the first 5 miles or so, but then they finally relaxed a little. I met and talked and ran with two different women, which made running soooooo much more enjoyable than it has been. This really confirms for me that I am a social runner, and may as well get used to running with a running group. It seems to be a really friendly group. The coaches are great--very encouraging in a not-drill sergeant kind of way. :)

Today was much cooler weather (46F) than Tuesday (75F), which was the hottest run I've had since last year. It's really pretty, where these runs are. Wooded, winding creeks we're always crossing over, lots of old nice pretty trees. Ahh.

Running again

2010-04-07T16:49:00.004-05:00

Last night I attended the first night of the season of Team Steam, a running group in Peoria that trains for the Steamboat Classic. I had in my head that this was your average casual friendly running club, and while, yes, they are friendly, they appear to be anything but casual. They distributed timing chips for our shoes and were told to bring them to every workout!

The first workout:

-1 mile warm-up
-interval training: 2 min, 4 min, 2 min, rest, 2 min, 4 min...I lost track.
Then:
-2 mile timed trial!
Cause they wanted to see how we'd perform on 2 miles after our muscles were fatigued. I've never heard of such a thing.

Boy, am I out of shape!! My time: 20:47. (Which, amazingly, is a pass for a woman of my age group on the Army Physical Fitness Test, a whole 66 points. But still sucky compared to where I was a year and so ago.) When I finished, I almost threw up. When I got home, Frank was quite concerned, "you don't usually look like this when you get back from a run." My face was beet red.

Oh, Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be fun!

Mosaics and a Pin Wall

2010-01-26T21:04:00.005-06:00

After almost 3 years of thinking about it, I've finally started working on mosaics. Here is my new work space in the basement:

(Sig never passes up a chance to be in a photo.)

Here is a picture frame:

And the coasters that are just about finished, as soon as I figure out why they're shedding sand. I was experimenting with different colors of grout: white, beige, and black:

A hot plate, pre-grout:

Also in progress are 2 clocks, a mail/envelope holder, and (still only in the idea stage) my first picture mosaic which will (hopefully) be a gift. Sometime this week I want to check out the tile store at the bottom of the hill by my house...I hope they have a discounted remnants bin or the tile equivalent. :)

Last weekend or so my mom visited me in Peoria for the first time. Frank and I took her to the one museum in town--the Lakeview Museum. They have a little of everything there: an observatory, some art, and a children's section! We looked at the art, watched a movie on black holes, and then played in the pill wall. This is us in a wall of many many pins...

New Website!

2009-11-11T12:30:00.004-06:00

I finished my website! Yay! I'm excited. Come see:

http://www.maryraven.com/

What do you think? Let me tell you, DIY website writing and designing when it's not your specialty is very labor and time intensive project.

Stay tuned for my runyogameditate routine report...

Also, I'll be in Chitown Nov 20th-23rd for birthdays and vegan thanksgiving!

:)

A Run blog, cause I need to get serious

2009-10-31T12:27:00.004-05:00

Time of departure: 11:15am-ish

Return: 12:00pm-ish
Temperature: 43 F

Route: Around ICC
Approx Distance: 3.3 miles
Running buddy: 2008 Mix CD
Clothing: Athletic pants, sweat wicker, pink running zipper top

What did I eat pre-run? nothin'
How did I feel? Running sucks when you haven't been running. My left knee/ITB attachments were whining periodically. I was really slow for most of it.
What do I like about running? Running makes me feel happy and content.
________________________________

Since moving to Peoria, there have been a few necessary-to-a-happy-life things that I haven't established. One of those things is a running routine. Of course, it doesn't have to be running, it could be some other sort of fitness routine, but running is the best for a couple of reasons. 1) It's inexpensive. I already have all the shoes and gear I need. 2) I can do it on my own schedule at any time. 3) I already know how to do run, how to ready my body when it's cranky or isn't feeling quite right. 4) I can get fresh air and sunshine at the same time I get my exercise. 5) Running really is just the best. Nothing clears my mind as completely as a long hard run does...with the possible exception of a West African Dance class, but that is not an option here in central Illinois.

For awhile after my move, I really wasn't running at all. Then, a couple weeks ago, I started walking more, but still running less. Today though, I decided walking doesn't really do it for me. It's nice enough, it moves my blood around a little, makes my body feel a little less stagnant, but that's not enough for me. I remember talking to Eric way back when about running for the feeling you get after running. That post-run high. That's why I have to run, because running makes me happy. It's gives me a feeling of peace and contentedness. I feel calm in my joints and muscles and relaxed in my mind after a run. I can breathe deeper.

So, it was a beautiful fall day. The whole nice fall day deal: crisp air, golden-sunny blue skies, brown leaves scuttling across the pavement. And it's Halloween! A day of infamous bad weather! But it was a good day for a run. There's a cross country running course carved in amongst the cornfields on the ICC campus and it looked as though a big conference match and just ended. Hundreds of people were dispersing from that area carrying signs like, "Run, Joe, Run!" I picked up my pace running through the herd of running fans, otherwise, I was pretty much at a snails pace. Not my favorite speed to run, but I guess that's where you begin, when you're beginning again.

Merry Halloween!

Motorcycle Diaries - Part I

2009-10-28T17:04:00.004-05:00

Since we live in a cold weather climate racing season is over. Which means it's time to start working on my dad's motorcycle! To remind you what it looked like, here are two "before" pictures that I took when we were loading it up in Frank's truck to take it home:

Here it is today after we spent two hours delicately eviscerating it:

Which was a very very dirty job. Thirty years in a damp dirty barn makes for a filthy rusty motorcycle.

There was 30 year old gasoline in the tank, too! The gas tube was rusted shut, so we had to dump it out the top--a messy job. And very foul smelling. Unlike the usual fragrance of fresh gasoline!

Other guts: the battery (cracked and completely empty of battery acid), filthy air filters, the side panels, spark plugs, and carburetors:

Next on the agenda: do some reading of the manual and figure out how the drive chain comes out. It's all very interconnected and how to disassemble it is not intuitive.

*****

I wanted sweet potato fries (again). They are so easy to make! And so delicious.

This is the recipe I'm very roughly following.

And, I was going to take an after-cooking picture...but they were too hot and yummy and I ate them all up already... Yum!

NS & SC trip report

2009-10-25T20:04:00.015-05:00

Frank and I recently returned from a whirlwind trip of Greensboro and Charlotte, NC and Greenville, SC. Frank is scheduled to graduate from his MBA program in May, and we're trying to determine if we want to stay here or trade in Peoria-living for a city that ranks higher on the Frankenmary Index.

*****

Here's an overview of Greensboro, NC:

-A b*tchy waitress at Applebees

-Socially, it may be very college-towny?

-Outside of town: lots of random trailer homes interspersed with nicer houses and subdivisions--not very appealing

-Greensboro-proper had some pretty areas, but not Frank-appropriate housing. Some areas reminded me of old Urbana near U of I.

-We had a drink at sports bar near campus that cousin Jimmy recommended

-Frank-jobs are limited--all they really have would be Volvo Trucks

-We found some potential neighborhoods/houses in Jamestown, SW of Greensboro. 17 min from Volvo Trucks, 22 min from DT Greenville

-We only spent half a day here, really, but weren’t too inspired to spend more time.

-Close to mountains & to ocean & racetracks

*****

And an overview of Charlotte, NC:

-Reputed, at least among its residents, to be growing into the next big metropolis

-Banking center. Lots of money moving around these parts.

-No one we talked to seems to love it, but “you get used to it” after 5-7 years, they say

-Some people seem proud that it is growing into a big city--this is the big thing it has going for it

-Commonly understood fact: no one in Charlotte is from Charlotte. If you’ve been there 7-9 years, you’re a native. (Compare that with areas of New England where they say you aren't a local unless you've been there 7 generations.)

-Seems like the time to (Frank) work->(Frank-friendly) home->fun factor would be a problem. Potentially very difficult to be close to all, as is the case with bigger cities.

-One neighborhood we looked at had some diversity, but mostly, our impression was that the city and suburbs were rather segregated.

-We had drinks at a sports bar downtown (all white people), the Tasty Beaver with lots of Bloody Mary's on the menu and the pig roast or whatever out front (all white hipsters), and another sports bar near the small venue Third Eye Blind concert where we met this guy Taylor, his Montreal girlfriend, and Jeane, the bassist of Wavy Space, and food runner for 3EB...there was a little racial diversity here. A lot of Bears fans too at that bar.

-Close to mountains & to ocean & to racetracks

*****

But things got a lot more interesting once we headed down into South Carolina.

I have said more than a few times that I want a peach tree some day. I thought this was a sign:

About Greenville:

-Lots of Frank jobs! Great weather! Friendly people! I could live here!

-We spent basically 2 full days here, and easily could have filled more days with activities!

-Hotel staff was notably friendly, as was everyone else we encountered.

-We had dinner Monday night downtown at a sports bar with live acoustic guitar (who gave us his CD! and was very friendly), had pizza at a local pizza place, lunch at Quiznos; all experiences were pleasant, people were friendly, diversity felt healthy & nice.

-People's accents are nice here.

-Had 1.25 hour meeting with a friend of a friend of Frank's at Caterpillar. He loves living in Greenville, moved from Ohio 35 years ago--had great things to say! People like living here, it seems.

-Weather is mild in winter, hot but not humid in summer

-Dirt is red clay, will have to lay down black dirt for gardening.

-Gun culture (which is perhaps surprisingly not a negative). I like the independent spirit that comes with this, I think. The law seems to be a little hands off.

-Rated/voted one of the bike friendliest cities. On a related note, Lance and whatshisname train here. It's what'shisname's hometown.

-100-mile moped competition--has interesting local character. Also: has a subdivision for anyone: including those who want to keep an airplane in their garage...

-A number of housing areas have potential. Location of Frank-job would influence what neighborhood. (eg. Greer, Five forks)

-Downtown Greenville is revitalized and nice--both walking, biking, and driving. Active at night, even on a Monday night

-Greer, a suburb of Greenville that has the BMW plant and housing potential, spoken highly of on city data forum

-Schools are generally bad in SC, but the Greenville area has some good ones

-The Frank-job capital of the world! Catepillar, BMW, GE, Belcan, Michelin! All great possibilities. Also maybe: Standard Motor, Baldor, Rexroth, Automotive Products, Siemens.

-It's near mountains & ocean & racetracks & low commute times to work, fun, home...sounds ideal!

*****

Here are some other photos from the trip:

We allowed ourselves one hour of fun, a break from research, and hung out at the BMW museum:

This is a super cute little car from the 60s, I think, the door is in front. So cute!!!!

This Formula One engine is only 1.5 liters. Just like my little ECHO! :) It has a lot more horsepower though.

On the drive home, we took the long cut through the mountains:

Here's a view from the Blue Ridge Trail:

It looks really bike friendly up here in the mountains until you notice the bullet holes...

*****

We've started tearing apart my dad's old motorcycle, but more on that later...

Welding Vertical Ups and Beginning Overheads

2009-10-13T21:50:00.006-05:00

My mother tells me she checks my blog every morning, and likes it when she has something to read. So...this one's for you, Mom. :)

Frank has been working on updating his resume, and conversations about that have led to short lectures (for me) on many a controls engineering thing. This morning it was on solenoids. Solenoids are some rather magical sounding things that, among other things, control or initiate the flushing of this automatic toilet, which I observed in action today:

There was a request pics of me in my welding get up. Here's one. Maybe I should have taken it with the hood down. :)

This (below) is NOT me, it's a classmate. That's a fire proof/fire retardant jacket he's wearing. It had caught on fire when he got too close to his welding rod. Imagine if he had NO fire retardant jacket. I think I need to get one. Also, because, I started welding in the overhead position today and the weld berries (the sparks) were attacking my bicep and armpit. OUCH!! I also felt one shoot across my eyebrow, though luckily it didn't leave me bald. Not that a jacket would help with that, but it made me pull my bandanna lower (as you can see above).

This is a vertical up corner weld with a GMAW machine. I had to turn the voltage and wire speed way down. I think I did this at 15.5volts and a wire speed of 145...inches per minute is the unit, I think.

This is the GMAW (a.k.a. MIG) machine I use in class. It's very heavy duty.

This is what my weld station looks like: It's inside a booth of vinyl curtains. That's a vertical up 3-layer pad that's clamped up there.

Vertical up 3-layer pad close up with welding nozzle in view.

Here you can see my earliest attempts at overhead welding. Pretty nasty, right? That's how it is starting a new position. Perhaps you can understand why I didn't like welding my first couple of weeks. It's very frustrating at first.

Overhead welding string beads (below) once I got the swing of things. This was with 19.5 volts and a wire speed of 320 (inches per minute, I think). The two welds on the sides are butt welds. Two pieces of metal butt to butt, welded together.
Today was the first day I felt like:

1) I really wanted a welding fire proof jacket because the weld berries fall onto your bicep/armpit and attack it when you're welding overhead. I have four little singes on my bicep.

2) I really wanted an auto adjusting hood. I've been using Frank's dad's old hood which it quite ancient. A couple of my classmates *still* like to give me poop about it. If you don't know, an auto adjusting hood is one that when you look through it in normal like, it's like looking through dark sunglasses. As soon as you begin to weld, it darkens immediately to the appropriate darkness. The advantage of this is that you can place the electrode at the exact place you want to begin your weld, so it can be much prettier. Without it, I can't see exactly where I'm starting the weld until after the arc has been struck. Also, the newer hoods have much larger lenses which make it easier to see up, when I need to look up for these overhead welds.

and 3) ...I don't remember. Frank just got home from band practice and distracted me...and now I'm hungry. Later, ya'll!

I baked sourdough bread!

2009-10-10T19:09:00.007-05:00

I made my sourdough bread today. Here it is after the 1st rising, after being shaped into loaves:

And after the second rising! Aren't they cute and pump?

And after the baking! Smells good and yeasty!

And then the eating. Hot bread right out of the oven--so yummy!

We went grocery shopping yesterday after not going for three weeks--not sure how we managed that. Isn't a bowl of fresh produce a beautiful sight?

I can't wait to eat those sweet potatoes. Mmm. Autumn.

Welding & Racing & Cooking

2009-10-07T18:21:00.012-05:00

Frank tells me I'm behind on my blogging. This is true. I've been spending my writing time working on a website. It's not published yet, but I'll let you know when it is. I'll be open to feedback.

For all you Chicago folks (and anyone else), who wonders if I miss the big city: not really. I miss WAD (West African Dance) and Ethiopian Diamond and friends...but overall, no. Check out this view I drive by once or twice a day:

Peoria is a beautiful little city or big town that's retained a lot of natural prettiness. I like that.

Overall, life has been good. I've been welding! At first, I really did not like it. But, as I have started to understand how I needed to adjust my technique in order to improve a weld, it has become a lot more fun. I enjoy focused work and learning new skills that require hand-eye coordination, and a different, deeper understanding of our environment--how electricity and metals behave--very interesting! The guys in my classes are fun, and very supportive of me (being a girl) learning to weld. I feel it is appropriate for me to learn how to weld in Peoria; so much industry and manufacturing in this town!

Below is a weld I did last night. It is an Vertical Upward weld on steel. Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) also known as MIG or MAG welding. The piece of metal is in a vertical position when I'm welding on it, and I'm moving up (not down) as I weld. This is one of the more difficult welding positions, because the melted steel is 2800+ degrees F and wants to pool and succumb to gravity, so I'm rather proud of it being (relatively) pretty. One of my classmates told me to "take it home and frame it." I thought I'd post it on a blog instead. This is a butt joint and a lap joint.

Below is a 3-layer pad in the Vertical Downward position with GMAW. Not so difficult, really. 3-layer pads are what they sound and look like: a pad of overlapping stinger beads, then a second layer of stringer beads in a perpendicular direction, and a third in the original direction. You want to get it as smooth as possible.

This (below) is a 3-layer pad with a Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW or ARC or stick welder) in a flat position with an E-6013 rod that I did on Monday. Stick welding has a lot more spatter because the rod is covered with a flux. Instead of the shielding gas (such as Argon) in GMAW, the weld pool is shielded from the harmful gases in the atmosphere by the gas given off by the burning flux. The flux turns to gas and to slag, which is sort of a cocoon for the weld bead. Slag protects the weld and slows down the cooling process, making the metal less prone to cracking and shrinking. But, slag is really annoying because you have to hammer and wire brush it off after ever weld, and any slag left behind will make any future welds done on top of it ugly and weak from impurities. Stick welding is more time consuming than GMAW welding, and doesn't make as pretty of welds. I do enjoy learning it though, because it is a much more difficult to do well.

*****

We went racing last weekend. I had a great time--I rode with Frank 5 of 10 times! Frank was frustrated by the poor handling of the mustang. I think that the chassis is floppy, but what do I really know?

Here is Frank buckling up for a test drive a couple days beforehand (I think he's so cute!):

Sig wanted to go too, but I pulled rank:

On the way there we stopped and visited with an old friend of mine in C-U. That was nice.

I tried to upload some video footage...but it was taking way too long. Anyhow, we raced.

*****

In other news, I tricked Frank into eating tofu again...by putting it in lasagna. Looks like cheese, right?

The sauce is my homemade sauce! plus Boca crumbles for the lasagna. I think we've just about nailed a recipe. Next time I made the sauce, I'll post it.

The lasagna put together:

Eric's old college recipe for lasagna. Yum!

And I've decided to start baking bread. I started some Sourdough starter today. I'm excited about this!

First the warm water, yeast, and sugar:

And 10 minutes later...yay, they're alive! (Yeast really take great pictures, don't they?)

Then mixing in the flour, to let it sit for 2-3 days.

My sister is going to be visiting her bf in Iowa City (from Boston), and I'm thinking of popping over to see her on Sunday. Maybe I'll have a fresh sourdough loaf for her, if all turns out well!

Frank and I are planning a trip to the Carolinas in a couple weeks to check out Greensboro, Charlotte, and Greenville. Frank is planning on graduating in May and we're exploring our options...more on that later.

DFW was eh

2009-08-23T21:44:00.011-05:00

Yes, Mom, I will write a blog, though life has seemed largely un-comment-able. Frank and I took a roadtrip to Dallas-Fort Worth, to conduct a little reconnaissance. It left us rather cold, despite the heat. This is Dallas:

There was one house that was o-kaaay. Largely because it was different from the rest of them:
Because the others looked like this:
Which may have been fine, except they ALL look like this. And they all have the same brick mail box. It seems to be a thing in Texas: http://www.beautifulbrickmailboxes.com/ And when they didn't have mailboxes in front of the houses, they had mausoleum-like mailboxes at the entrance to the subdivision. Imagine the line of traffic at 5:00pm as everyone is stopping by to pick up their mail. Yes, we did see a couple people doing just that when we were driving by.

You know the old saying, "No shirt, no shoes, no service?" Well, this used car lot had a different spin on things in Fort Worth. The sign read something like, "WE FINANCE - no driver's license, no credit, no social security - NO PROBLEM." Interesting.

Me driving:

We stopped for a night in Little Rock, AR on the way home. I found this sign curious--it was in a bar/restaurant we ate at:

Little Rock was one sleepy town, but they do have a nice looking riverfront:
In other news, Frank has a race in October. Hopefully his car will be in good working order when the time comes. Once that weekend is over, we'll start tearing this apart:

My dad's old motorcycle that sat in a barn for 30 years. Every inch of it seems to be rusty. I can't even imagine what a project this is going to be. It's a 1967 Honda CB160, apparently it was quite a popular bike in its day, and still has quite a cult following. Here's a taste (and, yes, I have forbidden Frank from racing this thing, should it ever get running. Thankfully, he is not interested):

I've started my welding classes. I'll take some pictures of my work soon.

Sig seems to have a rodent ulcer, not cancer, as it is slowly responding to the most recent shot of steroid treatment. He's super annoying lately though--he's VERY talkative and wants to go outside all of the time. I'm thinking we need to move somewhere with a barn so he can just be a barn cat.

I've got a lot of availability in my work schedule right now, so if you know any people in Peoria, recommend they come see me for massage. I'll take good care of them. :)

Burglars Busted!

2009-08-14T16:24:00.005-05:00

If you've been concerned about our neighborhood thief, put away your fears, the perpetrators have been caught! The story even made the cover page of the Local & State section of the Peoria Newspaper (see above). It was a much larger ring than we had suspected with 36+ break-ins and at least 6 people involved. You can read the article here: Peoria Journal Star. There is also a more detailed story in the East Peoria newspaper, you can read that here: East Peoria Times Courier. So, we're back to parking in the driveway, which is a good thing because we're picking up my dad's old motorcycle this weekend from my mom's house. It hasn't been ridden in probably 30 years, so it'll be a big pain the ass or a fun project or maybe a little of both.

Sig (my orange tabby cat) is having some medical problems. Either a rodent ulcer or cancer, and the vet wants to do a biopsy...this could be a long story, but I'll just say I haven't completely decided on a course of action.

I'm totally craving Ethiopian Diamond (the number 5 thing I miss about Chicago, I think it is). Below Sara is modeling the food, from the last time I ate there, 2-3 months ago. That's the longest it has ever been. :( Oh, Diamond, how I miss you so:

Frank and I are planning a reconnaissance trip to Dallas next week. I'm really excited to be going on a roadtrip! We found some really good deals on some really nice looking hotels with Priceline and Hotwire down in Dallas (like $42/night including fees and taxes!). Probably because it's hotter than the gates of hell down there right now, and who would want to go there, right? But, at least they have pools! :)

The sound of the rain on the grass

2009-08-05T21:12:00.006-05:00

The sound of the rain on the grass. This is one of my favorite things here in Peoria, a sound I hadn't heard in a very long time. In Chicago, rain makes the city loud. Wet roads make for loud cars and there is enough of both in the city that there is a constant whir wherever you are. But down here, there is not the incessant backdrop of city noise and when it rains I can hear it.

The other day we woke up to the radio alarm, as per usual, but there was a National Weather Service alert. Thunderstorm warning! I'm always somewhat guarded about sensationalistic journalism, even from the weather channel, so a checked the radar. A huge slash of red was rolling it's way across most of central Illinois. So I went outside and saw this! Now, don't be confused, the light color you are looking at is not cloud, that is the light shining through. The dark gray is the cloud. It was very beautiful. The line between the dark cloud and the bright light was wonderfully and ominously distinct and extended from the northwest horizon to the southwest horizon. I've never seen anything quite like it.

To the west:

To the east, still peaceful (Frank is on his way to school):

The storm was moving in at 40 mph, with wind gusts up to 60mph:

Above, the clouds were churning:

The wall of rain approached:
In other non-meteorological news:

I've been trying to establish some fitness routine, which has suffered tremendously since the move. I've started doing a little yoga again, and some walk-runs while listening to This American Life Podcasts, and I even took out a West African Dance video I had bought 2 years ago but never used. I've been missing West African Dance classes something awful. You Chicagoans are really lucky to have Idy Ciss teaching in town, and most of you don't even know it. :)

I've also started working on some mosaics. When I visited Portland 2 years ago, I discovered how much I loved mosaics and wanted to get into making them. I had to move to Peoria to actually begin. I'll post pictures when my first project is complete. Guesses about what I'm working on?

Aaaaahnd...the news some of you have been waiting for: the unveiling of the new hobby! I signed up today for some welding classes at the local community college. Yep. Welding! More on this later. :)

Wild Rides!

2009-07-24T17:46:00.016-05:00

I went racing with Frank! Three times I rode with him in his Mustang. Very exciting. Here's a video of him driving the track we were at, to give you an idea:

Of course, what you can't get from the video is the feeling of your body being pushed around in the bucket seats with the g-forces with the decelerations and turns at the highest possible speeds. Frank races time trials, which means he is racing against the clock, not for position against other cars. And, it's not a race to see how fast he can go, or how fast he can accelerate, it's about how fast he can travel around the track. Since it is a very curvy track, how fast can he drive around the corners is a big part of it, and makes for a very wild ride!

Frank's mom came on Sunday and took some pictures of me in the car (Thanks, Susan!):

The hood is not actually white. It's aluminum. Very lightweight, so good for racing. Frank is all about dropping weight to be faster.

On my first ride with Frank, we had a flat tire--the eventual diagnosis was some sort of puncture wound. Unfortunate. But fortunately, we'd brought his other set of wheels in case it rained and he needed the knobbier tires. It didn't rain, but it was good we had them!

After we get off the track and take off our helmets, Frank is always super sweaty and hot looking. Driving like that with no power steering and a very difficult clutch to push in is quite a workout!

On his third time out, he cracked a rotor. The rotor is the metal disc that the caliper clamps onto in order to slow and/or stop the car.

I felt like I was in an iPhone commercial at this point--looking up and calling the nearest Autozones, Advance Autos, and Napa Auto Parts stores on the way into town. There was a huge time pressure because Frank is an instructor and had to be back relatively soon to instruct.

Here is Frank quickly installing a shiny brand new rotor:

What these photos do not capture is the attention Frank's Mustang attracts. Most (all?) of the cars out there look very pretty and expensive and fancy: BMWs, Porches, Corvettes, Lotus' (my personal favorite, based on looks and name alone), pretty new Mustangs, etc. People spend time polishing them and putting on stickers and whatnot. Frank's car does not look pretty or expensive or fancy, it looks somewhat homemade. But it's fast! and inspires in other drivers something along the lines of respect and awe and curiosity. Frank seems to have a reputation for being a crazy or daring or aggressive driver, but not in a bad way, in a fun way!

We camped at the racetrack, which I prefer to staying at a m/hotel. It was basically uneventful aside from some mole (I've decided it was) that was poking around on the edge of the tent.

The sun setting Saturday night over Autobahn:

Camp fires aren't allowed, but I speculate we could bring a little grill or fire pit and cook on and stay warm with that.

Last weekend we went to Springfield for a friend of mine's farewell to the United Arab Emirates Party. She took a teaching job in Al Ayn. Here's is the cake another friend made for her. Isn't it spectacular? A very good map of the area, on a very tasty yellow cake!

We spent the afternoon out on the boat on Lake Springfield. It felt wonderful to be out on the water, in the sun.

For the first time, I went to a show at the Riverfront in Peoria. See the bridge in the background? It was a performance of Hairbanger's Ball, which I did not know, is local to Chicago and plays at the Cubby Bear or something? It was fun. I like the Peoria-size of things. There is breathing-room. Everyone is not completely on top of each other, like they are at most every event I'd go to in Chicago.

There's been a neighborhood thief stealing stuff from people's cars in their driveways. So, as Frank is in charge of security, he's moved all the cars into the garage. Amazingly, there's room for one big truck...

...one Mustang, two Echos, two bicycles, a riding lawn mower, and a helluva lot of tools...

...all with the door closed!

We cleaned the garage yesterday. Can you tell?

It's been more than a month already!

2009-07-12T17:42:00.011-05:00

Well, its been over a month that I've been here in Peoria and life is good! Here's some of what has happened since I've last written.

I've started working at a massage clinic called Balanced Health Concepts. It's an independent contractor sort of situation and so far I think it's what I'm looking for right now. I've finished designing my first-ever brochure, flier, and coupon! :) Now it's time to recruit some new clients!

My sister and her boyfriend have visited. She took some photographs of me doing massage and Thai massage for brochures and future website:

We also did a photo shot of Frank's band. This was a lot of fun! At an old gas station:

And on some railroad tracks:

And a photo of Matt being goofy when we were checking out some garage sales:

Sara has also visited and we went up a tall lookout tower in Peoria Heights...

Chicago is 127 miles away:

Not close enough to see...

I did the Batavia Triathlon on June 14th. Frank super-surprised me by showing up 1) to the race and 2) to multiple places along the course. Here are some photos he snapped. On the bike:

And on the run:

Frank and I have been mulching and doing some landscaping. Here's a before picture:

And here's an after:

(See little Sig check out the newly pruned bush. Sig and I both prefer the wild-jungle-look, but, we don't live in the country country and neighbors seem to like this highly groomed look.)

Frank took his Echo racing at Autobahn Country Club. Making adjustments pre-race:

Little Echo on the track with all the fast cars:

But after one 15 minute run on the track, the little car couldn't hold up and a wheel bolt broke:

Hopefully, now that Frank's Mustang is in working order again, it won't meet the same fate next weekend when we go back to Autobahn. Check out his new light-weight aluminum hood!

Kitty update. Look how everyone is getting along. Everyone say awh... :)

Cuties!

2009-06-03T21:16:00.001-05:00

Frank cuddling Bodhi...awwwh...

Pot Purity Experiment and other news

2009-06-02T17:32:00.001-05:00

There are a few things that I don't like about East Peoria, namely the lack of shoulder and bike friendly roads, but there are redeeming qualities. Like the pretty bridges that cross the Illinois River/Peoria Lake! I suspect I'll be taking more photos of them and drawing them too when I find inspiring places to sit.

Heading home on the War Memorial/Route 150 Bridge from a job interview. (Yes, that's right, I'm looking for work.)

Home is where...you have two near-matching Toyota ECHOs?! Yes, apparently it is. Frank's is pictured on the left and was inherited his from his father; it's a 2003.

I visited the Natural Grocery store today in Peoria. Hmm. I don't think I'll be frequenting this place...

...cause if you look closely, you will see that a can of beans is $2.49!! Some food items were up to two dollars more than I would expect them to be! Crazy!

*****

As requested and promised, here are some photos of Ms. Mabel, Frank's 10 year old cat who is still not totally down with the uninvited invasion of my two rascal kitties:

Mabel on the top shelf of her cat tree.

And Mabel in profile. She was growling in this photo as Sig was circling around my feet when I was taking this.

*****

And now, for the much awaited Pot Purity Experiment!

Frank has two sets of pots and I moved in one. So the question arose one night, which pot would boil water the fastest? We decided to do an experiment.

Frank very carefully measured out 1 cup of water per pot, and we used the three large burners on the stove, all on high. Do you want to guess which order they boiled in and at what times?

The first three pots...and they're off!

At 3m 0sec, this lightweight steel (magnetic) pot (on the front right burner) brought it's water to a boil first:

This stainless steel (non-magnetic) and heavy steel bottom (magnetic) pot (on the back left burner) was quite a distance behind at 4m 30sec:

And the glass pot finished last with 4 m 45sec (front left burner):

This was the order that Frank had predicted, though they took somewhat longer to boil than he had estimated.

Isn't it interesting how different all their boils look? Go ahead, look again. :)

But then we realized that the first pot had an unfair advantage because it had a larger surface area, so we grabbed a different pot of the set. Shorter this one was, but with an equal surface area. We brought 1 cup of water to boil, and for this lightweight steel (magnetic) shorter pot, it took it 3m 10sec. So just a smidge longer (10 sec) than it did for its lightweight steel counterpart. It also had a very similar looking boil:

Interestingly, after we removed the heat source, the water stopped boiling in the pots in the same order they had reach boil. The lightweight steel pots lost their boil virtually immediately, but the stainless steel/heavy steel bottom pot held its boil for awhile (we didn't time this part), and the glass pot held the boil for the longest. The steel and stainless steel pots are conductors of energy whereas the glass is an insulator. So, if I'm getting this right, the glass pot has the greatest thermal inertia so retains heat the longest.

Tonight I'm going to try cooking some Red Lentil Dahl from the Sri Lankan cookbook Matt gave me for my birthday awhile back. I wonder what Frank will think... :) I plan on also cooking WHITE rice, which should help it be more Frank-Friendly. AND, to some extent, halving the spices the recipe calls for. I'm thinking I may do something with a bag of collard greens as well.

Mostly a CAT Progress Report

2009-05-31T20:24:00.013-05:00

Well, unfortunately, Frank's band did not get to play for the 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition Friday night. That would have been pretty cool. And only now is that the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake in the oven, which, of course, I'm happy about as it'll soon be around for eating.

The cats have been making progress adjusting each day. Sig has been enjoying going outside on a leash. I'll try to get some pictures of him soon; I think he looks pretty funny. I tried to bring Bodhi outside the other day but ended up terrorizing her. I'm feel a bad cat mom, and she may not be venturing outside again anytime soon.

It's been fun watching the cat skirmishes and interactions while they're learning to live with each other. Sig and Mabel have kind of cooled off with their posturing, but Mabel had been doing a lot of hissing and growling at both Sig and Bodhi. Bodhi had been mostly running and hiding, but in the last two days has started standing her ground more hissing back a little as needed. Sig is mostly non-reactive when Mabel initiates something, and kind of annoying-little-brother-ish other times.

Here are some pictures of some cold-war-ish state of things the last few days:

That's Mabel on the left, Sig on top of the chair. I think he was antagonizing her here with his presence, she was growling.

Sig, again, antagonizing Mabel, and trying to ambush her tree.

I've been feeding them yummy wet food in the morning, and plan to slowly bring their bowls closer together. The first day I did this, when Sig approached Mabel's food, she gave an old fashioned slap across the face. He didn't respond or move at all until she'd finished eating and left the area of her dish.

But this one I just took a few minutes ago:

That's Mabel behind the curtain, Bodhi coming out from behind the chair, and just a few minutes after this was taken, Sig started licking Mabel's tail. (!!!!!) Mabel was making some grunting noises, but no hissing or slapping. I think we're really on a path to success!

*****

In other news, I've spend a good deal of time cleaning my car the last two days. It's now cleaner than it's been in 6 years (I've had it 7). And Frank walked me through changing the oil in my car, added air conditioning refrigerant to my car (yay! for A/C), figured out why my engine light was on (some tubes connected to an air filter chamber weren't connected), AND, maybe most importantly, Frank figured out why my horn was not working and fixed it (the vibrations of a honking horn vibrated a wire loose). This does not mean I intend to use it excessively, however; I am not in Chicago anymore, afterall. :)

There's also a Buddhist/Insight Meditation group in town I want to check out on Thursday. This a group that Bhante Sujatha of Blue Lotus Temple, with whom I went to Sri Lanka three years ago, is going to be teaching in August. So, if there are Buddhists in Peoria that are my "sort" of Buddhists, these will likely be them. :)

Tomorrow I've decided to start looking for work. Vacation is over. :) More on that later...

Final Stage of Moving; A Run Sandwich

2009-05-28T20:44:00.005-05:00

Tuesday was the day before my scheduled move, and I'd scheduled myself a full day: final massages with some very long-time clients, walk through of my apartment, final mid-week run with Matt joined by Eric.

I'd mentioned, Matt and I had talked for years of getting french fries from White Castle after a run...and since I was moving we'd run out of runs--now was the time! What I'd envisioned was not at all how it went down. A warm summer night, sighting under the statue of a young Abe Lincoln on the northeast corner of Clark & Peterson Ave, gossiping or philosophizing...No. It was pouring rain. Matt was, as per usual, severely underdressed. Eric was well equipped in his high tech, high visibility (as in bright yellow) rain gear. And I was somewhere in the middle as most of my "gear" is in Peoria. But we were all soggy, squeezing tablespoons of rainwater out of my "sweat-wicking" shirt, shoes still a little damp two days later. It was probably the second wet-est run I've ever been on. (Thanks, Chicago, for that sendoff.)

So, like some very wet dogs left out in a downpour too long, leaving puddles on their floor, we picked up three sacks for french fries from White Castle, and then ran them home in the cold (brrr...) wet finger-pruning rain. Brr... Another "meal" on the floor of my apartment:

Okay, well, I'm having technical difficulties adding text in amongst these photos; I was trying to use smaller photos, but I maybe can't do that without great working knowledge of this program and still have text between them.

*****

So, Wednesday morning I spent finishing cleaning my apartment. Bodhi is showing off my clean shelves. :) Sig understood pretty soon that he was to be going in the cat box, meanwhile Bodhi was hiding behind the stove/fridge, though she eventually came around. (Aren't they cute?! All set to go to our new home!)

Our drive was basically uneventful. Long. I'm completely tired of the Chicago-->Peoria drive. I'm glad I'm hear now and only plan to return for the Batavia Triathlon.

*****

Kitties have been adjusting well. Bodhi (not to mention Frank) has really been pushing the timeline up. They'd spent the night in the guest room and were content with that...but Bodhi really wanted to get out and explore, kept reaching her little paw out under the bedroom door, trying to grasp at the world on the other side. Sig has been much more cautious, reserved, obviously a little overwhelmed by the whole operation. We kept them separated by door and gate, and then by gate, and then they seemed ready to be in the same room. Mabel (Frank's kitty) has been less than thrilled with the presence of Bodhi&Sig and engages in a lot of hissing and posturing, but, thankfully, no actual attacking. Sig doesn't seem to understand what her hissing could possibly mean, he's completely oblivious to it, Bodhi is slightly intimidated occasionally and will scoot away from Mabel.

I went with Frank today to Autozone which involved turning over some used engine oil, worthy of a picture for all yous in Chicago who would never change your own oil, but apparently it's all the thing down here. :) Like, real men change their own engine oil. And Sig found Mabel/Frank's cat tree, overlooking the poker room. I'm not sure Mabel was happy with him up there, but...oh, well. She's a tough cookie to please. I'll add some pictures of Mabel next time.

*****

Tonight I really did not want to run, but somehow, with thoughts of future regret as my motivation should I not get out the door, I put on my running clothes, plugged into an old This American Life episode called Plan B, and off I went.

Run: 3.8 miles around the ICC campus. Left at about 7:15pm or so.

-saw a sign that said, "please do not walk or run on roadway." Hmm. Is the shoulder the roadway? I'll go with no.

-Saw on the side of the road: 1 screw, 1 wire cutters, 1 toothbrush

-1 Motorcycle class in session

-No other runners spotted

And now...to shower or to make a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake...?

Also, will Frank's band play a show tomorrow night for the 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition?

(to be continued)

One more day and a wakeup!

2009-05-25T22:16:00.013-05:00

If this were a military training scenario, we'd be happily saying, "one more day and a wakeup." Tomorrow I have a very very full work schedule followed by a walk-through of my apartment followed by a final "mid-week run" (this to be importantly distinguished from Saturday's last "long run"); today was my last day to really get stuff done. Of course, I could always add another day on in Chicago to *get stuff done*, but I don't really want to do that, and, knowing how I tend to operate, the last days would be the same whether they are now or 3 weeks from now.

Matt and Sara came over to help clean, sort stuff, provide moral and mental support (I have a tendency to get really distracted like a honey bee when I'm trying to do this sort of stuff by myself). But, first, we got bagels! I really wanted bagels from the New York City bagel place on North Ave. and Sheffield, but that was too far away, so we settled for Einstein's in Andersonville. There's a certain appeal to eating on the floor when you have no furniture:

How many addictive substances do you see pictured here (below):

(We came up with: Hemp milk (kidding! it's not really, no THC here), chocolate (in the hemp milk), carbohydrates (a la bagel), poppy seed (kidding!), dairy via cream cheese (serious about this one), coffee (obviously true)...which is a slightly humorous total of 6. Now, that's a ways to start the day! Green smoothies? Heh, not on a day of cleaning.)

Then we had a little Sig-in-a-basket photo shoot:

Me and Siggy-boy. All this moving has been really hard on him; he's a smart, curious, and sensitive guy. Being in this little basket seemed to calm him.

And then we got to work. Sorting storage-crap into To Peoria (very small pile), Joey, Sara, Matt, Thrift store, Free/alley, garbage... Things like this I find so much easier with friends. I sold my scuba fins and the butcher block (finally!). A little estimation challenge:

Me (sorting through my fridge): When do you think this Miso expired?

Sara: 2004

Matt: 2004. No...2006.

Me: Actually, you guys were right with 2004. What month?

Sara: May!

Me: Holy sh*t! You're right?!! May 2004.

Which means, I moved this expired Miso into my place 3 years ago. It wasn't moldy or anything, just really potent smelling.

Sara and Matt spackled my nail holes, I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed floors, cleaned out the fridge, etc., etc., until the apartment looked like this:

So as not to end this blog on a sad-ish note, I have a funny-ish story:

Matt & Eric and I were discussing our run for tomorrow night. For almost 3 years Matt and I have talked about getting french fries from the White Castle that's 2 blocks from my place after a run, but never have. Tomorrow's run has got to involve some fries! I also have about an inch of tequila that should be imbibed before I head off to Peoria. So...is White Castle BYOB?! I consult my supercomputer (a.k.a. iPhone), and proceed to call White Castle System Inc (that's the official name, according to my phone).

White Castle Employee #1 (male): Hello? White Castle.

Me: Hi, um, I was wondering, are you BYOB?

WCE #1: Uhhhhhhh, I don't know, just a sec...

(At this point I realize this sounds sort of like a prank call, though I started out with perfectly good intentions. And I start to feel the need to do the potty dance as I am trying very hard to not laugh out loud out of semi-embarrassment, and this is very difficult...)

White Castle Employee #2 (female): Hello? Can I help you?

Me (completely now aware this sounds like a prank): Um, yeeeaaaa, I was wondering if you were BYOB...?

WCE #2: (silence) Uh. No. This is *White Castle.* (which I'm sure was followed by a tacit "dumbass")