For our shift yesterday, my partner and I decorated our rig a little bit with some Giants paraphernalia:
It was great. We kept getting thumbs up and fist pumps when we drove around in the city People would smile and point, and yell out “YEAH GO GIANTS!”
The spirit here is INCREDIBLE. San Francisco is bubbling over in enthusiasm and joy. I don’t even like baseball all that much, but I’m totally caught up in it; Both of my partners for the next three months are dyed-in-the-wool OBSESSIVE BASEBALL FANS, so perhaps they’ve worn me down as we listen to 680am constantly It’s really cool, because they both played baseball (one of them was a collegiate level pitcher), so each day at work I have an expert on hand to explain stuff to me as we listen to the games.
Anyways, all this Giants spirit around here is very exciting. From our apartment in the Mission district Earl and I can hear people yelling “LET’S GO GIANTS!!” in three minute intervals all night. We also had a homeless guy in the abandoned lot across the street playing and singing a rousing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” for quite a while (it was a 40 minute version). People were setting off lots of orange-colored fireworks which Linus would growl and bark at! From Earl’s office at 3rd & Howard he could hear the screams and shouts as fans watched the game. Totally, totally fun…! I’m really looking forward to the next couple of games. GO GIANTS!
Here we are hanging around the house! Don’t we look cozy and comfortable
Actually, things aren’t *too* lazy around here. I’ve already done laundry, watered the plants on the patio (THEN it started raining… lol), cleaned both bathrooms, cleaned the literbox, dusted upstairs and downstairs, brushed and furrminated the dog and am about to clean the kitchen. Then, it’s MATZOH BALL SOUP time! Woot I’ve been so hungry for matzoh ball soup, but had been waiting for it to get cold enough around here to actually warrant some.
One of the cat, for good measure (who says the dog has to get all the attention around here?!):
Oh- in other exciting news, a really great bakery just opened up on our block. Wahoo! I walked over there and brought us back scones, a pecan roll, and coffees for breakfast. Delish.
I think I need to develop better form when man-handling the log around.
Look what’s ALREADY showing up on my skin! It’s only noon and this is from our 7am group this morning:
I tried to get a photo showing the bruises while making a sad, pouty face (demonstrative of pain and suffering!!) however Earl refused to take it without me smiling in pride.
If you’re curious, this is the log:
and this is what we were doing with it:
(this guy is kinda wobbly and all over the place tho):
We did a ladder… 1x, then 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, then 4x, 3x, 2x, 1x… and AGAIN. It was brutal. I couldn’t even press it after the first couple sets… only a clean, and even that was hard! I was the only girl in the group this morning, and I think honestly my boobs were in the way. In order to clean it, you have to lift it off the ground, kinda settle into your thighs, squat real low with it, then lift it while it rolls UP OVER YOUR CHEST. So the guys just roll it right up their bodies. With me, it was kinda smooshing my boobs rolling up. That’s 145lbs there…!! Oof. Bruises are from the edge of the steel log (around the handles) resting on my forearms while I cleaned it. :aye: … How do you avoid that? Just whip it around faster?
Anyways, log clean and presses weren’t the only thing we did, but they certainly left the most severe impression… I have a feeling these babies haven’t even begun to turn as dark as they’ll get. Bet I’ll be sporting them for a week or so… Yummy.
According to his orthopedic surgeon, not only did he have a completely torn ACL, but his medial meniscus was also torn and totally flipped over on itself. The torn cartilage was removed and apparently everything went really smoothly during surgery. He also recovered well, had morphine last night, ate dinner yesterday and breakfast this morning. We picked him up around 10am today.
Here he is at home, drugged out on simpliaf, tramadol, and metacam. He’s acting pretty goofy!
We have strict orders for LEASH TIME ONLY over the next two weeks, and pretty much only bathroom breaks, no “walks” … also he will have to be carried up and down all stairs. Since our apartment is two levels with stairs on the outside AND the inside, that’s not gonna be all that fun … but … :sigh: …. he aint heavy, he’s my corgi.
We almost needed emergency surgery ourselves when it came time to pay the bill: Earl astutely pointed out that a new corgi is onlyabout $700 So perhaps we made a bad economic decision to fix the old broken one ha ha ….
Joyful reunion at the vet! It was lonely around here last night with only ze kittah to entertain us:
Two weeks until he gets the staples out. Then 6 more weeks of leash only and limited activity.
So, so happy he’s doing okay now… and here’s to a successful and healing rehab!
Love you, Linus!!!
They were taken while E and I were visiting my family this August in North Carolina. Linus was staying with my cousin and his wife (and their kids). One of their friends visited and took these shots; apparently she has heeps of talent and a high-quality camera. I wrote her a nice thank-you note for taking and sending me these shots!
Aren’t they gorgeous?! Doesn’t he look cute???
When people meet Linus on the street, oftentimes passersby call him “Bright Eyes” or mention his “friendly face.” He’s just a completely friendly, unassuming, Pleased-ta-meetcha, happy-go-lucky dog. I think these wonderful photos really capture that aspect of his personality.
I find a lot of cooking inspiration from the guys at The Bitten Word, however lately I’ve been making dishes found in cooking magazines myself, thanks to time spent at work in hospital waiting areas. When we take a patient for a wait and return call (x-ray, CT scan, what have you), we’ll often remain on scene if the appointment is under 15 minutes. So if I’m not the one teching the call (doing paperwork), then I’ll grab whatever cooking magazine laying around and flip through to find something to make.
This Parpadelle with Lamb Ragu was found in Bon Appetit a few weeks ago. I’ve been waiting for a proper lazy Sunday to make it (and lazy Sunday it was! we went to the farmers market, took Linus for a long walk, and took a looong nap!), and today was the day.
First, I made a big pot of veggie stock with some extra veggies on hand. See the corn husk in there? According to this guy over at Salon, corn husks are good in stock. I also threw the leftover lamb bones in there, so I guess it isn’t totally vegge.
Next, coat lamb in S&P with flour and brown for five minutes. Then add leeks, onions and mushrooms and saute until tender. Then comes one and a half cups of red wine:
At this point, your apartment will smell sooooo good.
Then in with some oregano and thyme and 2 cups of vegge (with lamb!) stock: Simmer until lamb is tender- about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, I made the pan-roasted corn recipe above as a side, some breadstick cheese twists and also boiled the parpadelle.
Check out the Tillandsia I picked up at the farmer’s market today! It grows on air and doesn’t need dirt! We’re going to hang it up in the glass globe. Trying to figure out a spot for it. Apparently it likes filtered light, and you have to soak it in water every two weeks. Interesting. Hopefully I won’t kill it!
Oh hello. I like Lamb Ragu. In fact, I will volunteer to eat the lamb ragu for you, if you need!
Here’s the final result:
Mange!
One thing to note- this recipe makes WAAAY too much food for 2 eaters. E and I were both *starving* but neither one of us put a dent in it… resulting in tons of leftovers for the next couple of days. I would reduce it by half, even for three people (unless you want to eat for a week )
This guy is awesome. I love the bloody nipples shot!
In my own personal health, fitness and weightloss news, I started working with a trainer twice a week and also hired a nutritionist! Now I have my own “dream team” to work with, who are helping me reach my goals.
This is Ricky, my trainer. You can see him deadlift some cars here. How ridiculous. He does powerlifting, olympic lifting and strongman stuff. Mainly I’m strength training with him to get stronger at lifting patients at work and to help prevent work-related injury. I’m also running a few trail run 10ks coming up in the next few months. My amazing friend Andrea is getting dragged along with me on the 10ks; she and I plan to help each other stay accountable. My thoughts are that the strength-training/cardio cocktail is enough to blast off some fat!
Ricky is determined to get Earl and I into Strongman Competition Training, … we’ll see how that goes. I don’t know if carrying boulders and pulling firetrucks are really aligned with my goals. As for now, he has me doing lots and lots of squats, deadlifts, and bench press. Powerlifting type stuff. I’ll let you know if I ever deadlift a car As for now I’ve been deadlifting 100lbs with the Zercher Harness… but I’m just starting out! In addition to 2x weekly training sessions, there are group workouts we can go to which are free. We do crossfit type stuff at the groups. It’s WACKED. Last week we dragged 90lbs up and down Moss Alley in a sled. It was crazy fun! Everyone in the group cheers you on and helps hype you up so that you’re even more energized and able to get it done.
The gym I train at (other than the SOMA 24hr fitness, which is the main gym where E and I workout when I’m not training with Ricky) is right next to a sex club and a punk band recording studio, so both swingers and punk rockers were hanging around outside cheering for and catcalling us as we dragged the sled back and forth up the street. I’m sure *they* all thought *we* were the weirdos! One person would drag it one way, you would trot alongside your partner, cheering them on, then take the sled from them and drag it back. By the time it got up to 90lbs, I was dragging it so slow I was practically walking! Plus trying not to get run over by rumbling Fed Ex trucks (we were dragging the sled while running backwards, so you couldn’t really see if a car was coming!) and dying from pungent fumes of urine and rotting garbage in the alley. All in all a crazy San Franciscan experience.
Nutrition wise, I’ve been working with Dr. Clyde for the past month and we’ve come up with an entire detailed plan for me to follow. Dr. Clyde is amazing. He took into account my wacko work schedule- how do you eat on a 12 hour shift? a 24hr shift? 36? 48? etc and also my lifting and weightloss goals. I love that he’s a powerlifter himself, and clearly practices what he preaches. I highly recommend checking out his blog and youtube video archives if you have some time and want to delve into the fascinating world of science-based nutrition.
Am I setting out to save my own life? I sure damn think so. Every time these days I transport a bariatric, obese, diabetic, etc patient to the ER or dialysis I feel like I’m looking at examples of why the Western Diet and American way of life has put so many of us in danger. The extra weight is a huge medical, financial, and emotional burden! One that I, for one, can’t bear to stand any longer.
Best of luck to all who read this in their weight loss, fitness, and health goals. Perhaps I’ll post some videos or photos of myself dragging the weight sled, or deadlifting something silly in the near future
Ceej
How dorky are we?? My partner at work today was telling me how he thinks the act of going to a dog-owner meetup crosses the line from dog “enthusiast” to strangely “obsessive” … heh. Not that I ever claimed to be anything but
Really looking forward to it. I actually moved my training with Ricky to earlier in the day specifically so we could go.
Can’t take any photos because my camera battery charger is missing (I think I lost it when we moved to our new apt, or shortly thereafter), however it sounds like lots of people in the yahoo group like to take photos, so there should be plenty to share.
For a while there during the Great UTI Scare of August 2010, the leetle one went on a hunger strike and refused all food. $400 worth of lab work and exam fees later, we figured out what it was and the vet gave her antibiotics.
It was *so* out of character for her to not eat, because her ravenous appetite is up there with The Greats. Fortunately for us, she’s back to bitching to get fed morning and night before every meal We are thrilled to have her back in form! She even tried to sleep on my head last night (and hogged my pillow) which is also back to true character.
Here she is celebrating with some particularly yummy (and incredibly stinky!) dried bonito flakes. Immediately after writing this blog post, I am going to take O’ Great Bonito Flake Breath and dump her on top of a sleeping in Earl.
Poor Linus has his seasonal dermatitis, which means he gets a spray from the vet and has to wear the cone for a while.
cone dog!
To make him feel better, we picked him up a little football. It’s pretty funny when he’s playing with it with the cone on- he can’t *quite* reach down to get it off the floor, so he just ends up pushing it further away. We eventually take pity on him and throw it to him. Footballs, by the way, are way better with they’re plushy and have squeak toys inside.
Lucy has a UTI (we think) right now as well, AND our ceiling is leaking into the downstairs bedroom. So yucko stuff happening all around. Still, we had a great day at the farmer’s market, snoozing on the couch and now I am cooking a dinner of beef stir fry with bitter mellon and ricotta stuffed squash blossoms on the grill. I’ve been working Saturdays this month, so Sunday is my only weekend day. Goes by so fast!
People would smile and point, and yell out “YEAH GO GIANTS!” 
It’s really cool, because they both played baseball (one of them was a collegiate level pitcher), so each day at work I have an expert on hand to explain stuff to me as we listen to the games. 
Earl astutely pointed out that a new corgi is onlyabout $700 
So perhaps we made a bad economic decision to fix the old broken one 
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