Thai Me!

The hidden gem that is Thai '99 in Lynchburg continues to make me dream about Thai food. Seriously. Once I get it in my mind that I want Thai food for dinner I will not stop until I get my way. Luckily, I have a husband who fully supports this. A craving for Masaman Curry is not to be taken lightly. (If you have never been to Thai' 99 - please go. You will love it. If you have never gotten the Masaman Curry, you will not be disappointed. If you have never been to Thai' 99 and have never eaten Masaman Curry - you are really missing out! GEEZ! What are you waiting for?)

Tonight we went out for Thai, but having just made burgers on Sunday we didn't want to overdo the red meat so Ryan and I took the waitress's recommendation for the daily special. I was excited to try something new, but still mourning my Masaman Curry (it's a beef curry so I had to pass tonight) when the new dish arrived. I wish I knew the name. Ryan kept saying cow poot san, and I kept laughing knowing that was definitely not what she said...anyway...it was a tastebud sensation! They were these lettuce wraps with pork, rice, cilantro, lime, lemongrass, and many more flavors tucked inside. It sounds crazy, but I could not even believe my mouth. YUM! Then, just when I thought it couldn't get any better we had a traditional Thai dessert of fresh mangos and sweet, sticky rice. It was perfection. It even made me forget about my irritated, allergic, itchy eye....or maybe it was the Singha beer....either way I'm one happy camper!

Discouraged

Here I am, less than a week before my race. The 10K that I have been preparing for since Christmas is almost here. I now have excruciating pain shooting down from my hip through my knee every time I try and run. Couldn't this have waited until after the race? It is so frustrating to work so hard and be so excited for something only to realize that it probably won't happen. I know there will be other races. I know I will recover...again. But, I don't want to take time off. I don't want to miss out. It's just not fair. It's not like I signed up, fooled around, and then thought. "Oops! Better start running since the race is almost here." No, I have worked my butt off for this. Gradually building miles and speed so that not only would I not get injured, but I could also run this 10K faster than my other one. I am pissed. My sister said it sounds like my sacrum is injured. Everything I have been reading online says runners have to take months off to fully recover. I could just cry.

Busted!

I cannot even begin to explain how entertaining a pet can be. Those of you who have one know exactly what I am talking about. It is especially hilarious when they do something completely different from the norm. Molly is no exception. She is quirky, and I have no idea what Ryan and I ever did without that little furball. She is so precious to us! Anyway, you can expect Molly to be in one of a few different places. Here are the places that I look first and in this order:

1. On our bed - especially if you have left a shirt or a pair of pants laying on the bed
2. Under our bed on Ryan's black suitcase
3. In the basement on the papasan chair
4. Upstairs on either bed
5. In the sunroom, in the sun

Of course she will be other places, but not typically. One of the places she sometimes likes to lounge is beside us on the couch. However, she does not like the feel of the leather and will only get up if first, she is invited (by tapping the couch with your hand) and second, if you have spread a blanket out for her. She is a diva. She has NEVER just gotten up there on her own. So imagine our surprise when arriving home from grocery shopping, there she sits. It was so bizarre! Writing this down sounds so stupid, but I could not stop laughing! It was so random.

Occupational Hazards

Everyone who works anywhere has them. Well, I am the lucky winner of a weekend full of pink eye. Mmmm! Delish! As my doctor said today, "Second grade, huh? Yeah, that's a petri dish!" I couldn't have said it better myself. At least it inspired me to do tons of cleaning - even wiping down door knobs, computers, & remotes with clorox wipes. I also did 5 loads of laundry. Sometimes pink eye might be a blessing in disguise! On second thought, it's just a pain in the butt.

The Next Thing On My List

The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is like a strawberry smoothie - a delightful, sweet treat. It doesn't pack a whole lot of substance, but I was still satisfied! It was a quick read. A perfect vacation book! The characters were entertaining, the plot moved along quickly, and it finished appropriately. And who doesn't like a book that makes you laugh out loud! I haven't had that since Bridget Jones!


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Tricky Treats

I love the unsung holiday heros of elementary school: Groundhog's Day & St. Patrick's Day.

There is no hype, no pressure.

I love surprising my class on St. Patrick's Day. It is so unexpected! That is why I look forward to it every year.

During lunch I will sneak away and put one of these little green cupcakes on their desks.
When they return they always say, "MRS. KNAPP! We know it was you!"

I always reply, "Not me! Must have been a leprechaun..."

*wink*

Treadmill Rules

Yesterday's visit to the Y inspired this friendly little blog about treadmill etiquette.

Rule #1 - Do not slap your feet as if you are a thundering elephant when you are running. It is very distracting. When this happens instead of hearing my happy running music, all I hear are your loud feet next to me.

Rule #2 - If you have been walking at a mile pace of 3.0 or lower for more than 30 minutes and you see people pacing about because there are no open treadmills, kindly get off and let the next person get on. That turtle pace isn't helping your exercise effort anyway.

Rule #3 - Try not to gasp and breathe heavily in excess. I mean, I know we are all working out, and we are going to be breathing a little hard. But, when I look over and it sounds like you are about to keel over any minute...that worries me, and then I can't concentrate on anything but being ready to call 911 at a moment's notice.

Rule #4 - Do not read and run on a treadmill. That is extremely dangerous and makes me feel nauseous just thinking about it. If you want to read, just walk please.

Rule #5 - Do not talk loudly on your cell phone. Working out on a treadmill already means we are stuck with you. We don't want to be stuck in the middle of your one sided phone conversation, too. If you are going to talk loudly on the phone at least put it on speaker so we can get both sides of the story.

Rule #6 - If you see someone's stuff on the treadmill (i.e. water bottle, iPod, phone, keys, jacket) do not get on. That person probably had a bathroom emergency, and will be right back.

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
OK, I know I will probably be ripped limb by limb and thrown into a burning fire by all of the die-hard Twilight fans out there. However, I am entitled to my own opinion. Hooray for America! The fourth book of this series starts off as predictable, slow moving, and redundant as all of the other books. I wasn't surprised by this. After reading the other 3 I knew it was coming. But, after reading about 500 pages and realizing that only about 2 or 3 major things had happened, I had to stop. I found myself very frustrated. I would read 20 pages at a time, get annoyed, and take a break. Finally I approached page 630, and things started moving faster. (Thank God!) It was as if the author thought, "OOPS! Nothing has happened and I guess I should get on with it. Rush, Rush, Rush, The End!" I will admit that the last 100 pages were much more interesting, and I was satisfied with the ending. However, a good ending does not a good book make. Everyone loves a good ending, but had I known that all I needed to read was the last 150 pages I would not have wasted my time with this rubbish.



So, in conclusion here are my thoughts about the series overall....



#1 - I think the concept of this book is fun. I think the execution stunk.

#2 - Yes, I think Edward Cullen is dreamy.

#3 - Bella, while being a very flat character in books 1-3, makes some changes for the better in book 4.

#4 - There were some characters I did always like: Charlie, Jacob, & Alice

#5 - Obviously I read all of these books, so I will give the author credit that she did make me want to find out what happened in the end.

#6 - This series is incredibly over-hyped. Very much a "bandwagon" book. USA Today said, "Move over Harry Potter!" - um, no.

#7 - These books suffered from a case of poor editing.

#8 - Thank goodness it's over.


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New Shoes!

Hip Hip Hooray it was new running shoes day! I won a silent auction item (after much hovering and an extra $2 on my bid "just to be safe" as Amanda said) at Mardi Gras for a pair of running shoes from Riverside Runners. Today Heather was working and I was really impressed with all of her running shoe knowledge - she is quite a delightful shoe seller and you should go visit her if you need shoes. ANYWAY, I decided to try the Brooks shoes instead of Mizunos this time. I will keep you posted on how they work for me. I am SUPER excited to try them after work tomorrow, even if it has to be on the treadmill....


OH! And they are Hokie colors, too! BUT, I did NOT buy them just for that because you should never buy shoes just because you like the colors! Right, Heather!?! They really do feel awesome!

The Friday Night Knitting Club

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is like a bowl of chicken soup. It warms your soul and is delicious to read! USA Today remarked that it is like Steel Magnolias set in Manhattan. I will have to agree. I loved this book. As a knitter (although a relatively new one still) - I found myself smiling in agreement at the descriptions of each step at the section beginnings. I could see how the steps involved with making a hand-knit creation mirrors the things we often go through in life. The metaphor was just beautiful to me. But one of the best things about this book is that you don't have to be a knitter to appreciate it.


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