Kitchen Catastrophe
March 30th, 2010 § 18 Comments
You may have heard me say once or twice that I am really not much for spending quality time in my kitchen – cooking that is, not eating, no no homegirl appreciates her grub. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the challenge of doing more than putting an Eggo in my toaster, it’s just that the more steps that are involved in creating something, the more chances I have to screw it up. And screw it up I do - every dang time.
Case in point: last Tuesday. I made the weekly trip to the grocery store, this time solo, which proves to be a massive mistake for me. Usually, I tend to stick to the perimeters when I do my shopping. It has everything we need and is also home to the freshest product. Last week, however, I wanted to recreate this bangin’ chicken and rice creation I’d tried so I went in search of a can of cream of mushroom soup. Somehow I found myself in the Flavors of the World aisle, right in the middle of Italy.
I love pasta as much as the next girl, but it’s not something I have to pry my appetite away from. But for some unknown reason, last week I saw a box of manicotti and suddenly it seemed like the greatest idea in the world for me to cook. Having never tried it before, I flipped over the box and lo and behold – there was a recipe for the traditional dish stuffed with cheese and drenched in a meat sauce. Eureka! The recipe-on-box epiphany worked its magic on me yet again! It’s not like I have a whole shelf of cookbooks in my kitchen or anything..
After dropping several Andrew Jacksons, I loaded up my car and ventured on home, declaring as soon as I walked into the door that I am no longer allowed to grocery shop alone due to the amount of money I spent without thinking and the counter full of ingredients I wasn’t sure I was actually going to use.
It took me a couple of days to actually get my butt in gear and make this and what an adventure it was. Hiccups included:
My timing and multi-tasking was definitely off and I let the manicotti sit in the strainer too long before I started stuffing it with the mixture of seven cheeses (yes, seven – I know, that’s a lotta moo.) This led to sticky pasta, which even after a mini manicotti shower in my sink, inevitably ripped. At which point I yelled out a “Bahh!!” and/or “Gahh!!!” in frustration and showed that piece who’s boss.
I guess I am not an equal opportunity pasta-tini because in my kitchen, if it’s ripped, it’s done. Don’t worry, they had a lovely ride down the garbage disposal.
The recipe was written out with wording like, “add the next seven ingredients..” Apparently, I also excel in failed math and left out an entire half cup of Parmesan cheese while making the mixture to stuff the manicotti. This resulted in making faces like this:
I also had to improvise and add an entire can of pizza sauce I found in my cupboards to the meat sauce mixture because what was called for barely covered the bottom of the pan. Which, by the way, was still too small to fit all those manicotti despite the rebel rejects I had to send to sewer heaven. All I could think while literally stuffing those babies into an 11×13 pan was, “I hope y’all like each other, because you’re gonna be pretty close for 35-40 minutes!” This is also the point where I ditched the utensils and just got my hands into it.
Where do my fingers end and the manicotti begin?? Ahhhhhh!!!!
Then it was time to let my oven do its magic. This is also known as the time I leave my kitchen. I mean look at this guy, does he look like he wants company to you?
Personally, I think it looks like a shark, what with the eyes all the way over to the sides and the giant, gaping mouth. Oh, I shudder just to look at that thing. If my oven and I were in a relationship, the conversation would go something like this:
Me: “I know you’re great at what you do and so many other women rave about you, but I just don’t think we have anything in common. I mean, you really burnt me on Cinco de Mayo.“
Sharky: “I know, baby. I’ve been feeling the same way, I just didn’t have it in me to tell you, especially when you dance around the kitchen to ghetto rap and Phoenix. It’s pretty adorable, but I think we both know you have a better chance with your blender than you do with me.”
And as if I hadn’t been through enough – the whole process of preparing took the better part of two hours (thanks for the accurate prep time, box recipe) as I was cleaning up, my graceful self launched an elbow-meets-glass initiative and this is what I ended Happy Kitchen Day 2010 with:
Dang, glass shards sure can fly. See that big chunk in the background? There were about six of those and a scattering of little baby ones ALL over my kitchen. I wish I could say this was the first time such an occurrence happened in my presence. I also wish I could say I didn’t step on several pieces and leave a blood trail on several pieces of granite tile. C’est la vie!
Oh, and for the record, the manicotti turned out well. Utter shock and amazement ensued. Those little guys had a splendid time in the shark oven and provided us meals for five days. If you’re wondering why I didn’t take a picture of the finished product, you obviously just don’t get it that I am no Jessica and both my process and my product are a bit, how we say, messy.
Innocence Inspirations
March 25th, 2010 § 9 Comments
Something that I absolutely love about my alma mater is all the great things it did, does and continues to do for its students, community and alumni. I know I have posted in the past about the amazing professor and friend I have in Rebecca. There is another professor whom I had the honor of learning under in my four years in college and he is the man I credit for getting me into this field and making me the writer I am today. His name is Bill Moushey but most of us simply refer to him as Moushey. He’s got an impressive resume of experience in TV and print as well as a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize under his belt. The man has worked hard and worked his way up through the field and continues to be remarkable by running the Innocence Institute, one of over thirty innocence projects in the U.S. Plus, he throws up some sweet gang signs at any given opportunity.
In the case of this particular project (and most of them) it is largely fueled by students who investigate claims of wrongful convictions and raise awareness of the frailties associated with the criminal justice system. Since its initiation at Point Park University, the Innocence Institute has exonerated several inmates and they continue to work on several cases at a time to prove innocence. Last night, a benefit was held with a very special guest.
John Grisham!!!
If you didn’t recognize this gentleman at first, don’t feel bad – I wouldn’t have known him if he ran me over in the street! Although I didn’t get very much face time with the author, I can tell you he has an adorable Southern accent (although I’ll admit I’m a sucker for accents) and he is very nice. There was quite a crowd around him, but it wasn’t panicked chaos like I expected it to be when you’ve got a New York Times best selling author in your presence. We managed to snap the last picture with him before he was whisked away to get ready to speak. Another former professor and amazing photographer, Chris Rolinson, snapped this photo of me just before John left. I think I look like a total goof, but whatevs.
John’s connection to the Innocence Institute is the first non-fiction book he’s ever written titled, “The Innocent Man.”
Believe it or not, John got the idea to write about the man in this book from reading the obituaries in the New York Times – apparently a part of his daily routine! Moushey mentioned in his opening remarks that John has spoken at many benefits like last night’s since writing the book because he now understands our justice system is by no means perfect and things like false confessions, junk science, bad lawyers and lazy DA’s do exist. He was very interesting to listen to and I am actually kind of tempted to keep the book for myself and read it before I pass it along to someone whom I know will enjoy it more.
Next was a one-act titled, “Voices of Innocence.” by exonerees from Louisiana’s Death Row.
To say this was powerful would not do it justice. These men were wrongfully accused of committing fatal crimes and spent dozens of years – no decades – behind bars, outside society, punished. Thanks in part to innocence projects, they are now free and upstanding members of society. You just can’t imagine what they went through.
I am so glad I could contribute – even if just a little – of my time and money to the Innocence Institute last night. It’s something I truly believe in and wish I would have had better success at participating in while I was in school. I left feeling inspired and proud to be an alumni of such a fabulous school.
Do you get involved with programs at your alma mater? Anything great your school has done or does for its community?
Thanks, but no thanks
March 23rd, 2010 § 15 Comments
Dear Double Sized Bed at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront,
I feel it necessary to give a royal Internet shout out to you today, not because you’re awesome, but because you suck. One would think that such a gorgeous hotel that was filled with many guests would hold inside it the world’s most comfortable beds that could make the claim of sleep like one had never had sleep before. Oh no. Hell no.
Perhaps it was me who’s to blame for the way you rocked my body after two nights sleep. I mean, I did come in and just throw 30 pounds worth of luggage onto you without so much as a bed bounce or a friendly collapse of relaxation. Perhaps you decided this was unfair treatment. I can see that. Or maybe it was that I only spent minimal time each night with you as I was out being social in your fair city. Did the green-eyed monster creep into your springs Friday night and decide to wreak havoc on my upper back?
Being a fan of a harder mattress sans springs (IKEA, you should expect a love letter some time in the near future) I knew you and I wouldn’t be the best of friends right away, what with your soft mattress pad and your incredibly stuffed down pillows. However, it would have been nice if we could have just smiled and air kissed one another instead of you stabbing me in the back like some heartless high school “popular girl.” I surely can’t wait to get back into training for the half marathon now, oh won’t that be fun?
So, thanks but no thanks, bed. After waking up with shooting pain at 2 a.m. yesterday, walking around like Frankenstein and dropping a cool Ulysses S. Grant to have a massage-therapist-by-day-martial-arts-instructor-by-night chop suey me, I am still reminded of the time we spent together. To me, your presence in my life is like that of a gay man: you’re beautiful to look at and we had a lot of fun choosing outfits for me to wear each day, but when it came time to hit the sheets, you just weren’t my type.
Love,
Caitlin
FitBloggin’
March 22nd, 2010 § 15 Comments
Hola friends! I am back in action from an absolutely amazing weekend at FitBloggin. Let me just give kudos to Roni for putting together a successful event that I know was enjoyed by everyone in attendance. Not only did I learn more about this wonderful niche I spend so much time involved in, I met other women who share my passion and “get it.” I can’t say enough just how uniquely wonderful each blogger (BLEND!) is in real life. Seriously – I could give each one some sort of superlative. I’ll spare y’all the mush and just say that if you ever get the chance to participate in an event that is centered around your passion, hobby, etc., by all means do it!! I feel so incredibly blessed to have gone and I am so jazzed to have added to my network – I made connections all over the world!
OK. A little less talk and more pictures you say? Friday night upon our arrival at the correct hotel (there are two Marriots in the harbor in Baltimore, guess who lugged 100 pounds of luggage to the wrong one?) we went to the POMWonderful cocktail hour.
Nicole, Myself, Jess, Whitney, Abby (thanks Kacy!)
Picture courtesy of Caitlin
Afterward, about a dozen of us headed up to Federal Hill for some late night appetizers. I thoroughly enjoyed some fries with Old Bay before being dared to try them in lentil dip which I honestly think may be one of the most distasteful things I have ever tried, but who’s a girl to turn down a bet. There is a pretty entertaining video on Ashley’s post – go check it out if you want a laugh. By the way thanks for not leaving a girl hanging Jordan!!
Healthy living bloggers are gorgeous, no?
Saturday many of the attendees started their day with a 5K or 1 mile run. I decided to take pictures of the sunrise from inside the hotel. I was thinking of y’all though!!
Throughout the day, we attended breakout sessions with topics like how to pitch to traditional media, wordpress.com to self-hosted, how to make money from your blog, and getting published.
After sitting in a freezing conference room all day, we took it outside to the sunshine and headed to – where else? – Whole Foods for a hot/cold bar dinner we enjoyed bay side.
After that, a group of us hit the town for a night of dancing and a few drinks. It was so much fun! Baltimore definitely showed us a good time. I am nowhere near unpacked and am hoping I can put together some sort of outfit for work. Too bad I can’t wear anything from my swag bag!
Again, I am so glad I attended this year. You know you had an awesome time when you spend an entire day just talking about how much you miss the people already!! Alright, it’s time to head back to reality. Have a wonderful start to your week!!
Thursday Thoughts
March 18th, 2010 § 17 Comments
Hang on tight kids, this is gonna be a quick one! This week has been nonstop with work and running, the latter which I feel the need to elaborate on. I had high points and low points in my training runs this week including, but not limited to:
*Bridges, lots of bridges. Sometimes it was in the morning, sometimes it was cold and sometimes it was at night. Who can resist a view like this?
Sometimes I just have to stop in the middle of that bridge and look around me and just take a moment for reflection and thanks. Pittsburgh is so gorgeous, and I am truly lucky to have its streets to run on.
*Faster times than…well ever. Why you ask? These babies:
I saw these on Kacy’s blog a few weeks ago and had to immediately purchase them for my sore, tight, aching calves. Let me tell you, they are some sort of wonderful. Namely, the best thing I could have done for myself. They are from Zensah – if you suffer from leg troubles like myself and find yourself having to stretch out more than what you though was humanly possible, check out the site and get yourself a pair (the pink ones are pretty smokin’ hot.) I feel a bit like a cheerleader with these, or a volleyball player, or just a bad ass runner who takes her training seriously.
*Despite my being ill every morning this week – one so much that I had to skip me run – I am extremely grateful for some new music as well as a change in music. I have been listening to “1901″ by Phoenix which makes me want to dance in my kitchen (and on my run, which I refrain from.) I have also been listening to some John Mayer which is a nice change from the ghetto rap and r&b I favor. After awhile all those hard beats and bass give me a headache. Once again, thank you John for bringing joy into another part of my life.
*Tomorrow is Fitbloggin’! I am extremely excited to meet so many of my fellow bloggers – finally – and make some more blends! Baltimore doesn’t know what it’s up for!! I have not even began to pack yet, which is typical for me. I mean, just look at what my room looks like the night before a trip.
Yeeahhhh…have fun with that tonight, right?
Alright, off to work then East Bound and Down tomorrow – look for my crazy curly-headed self tomorrow ladies!!! (I will likely be the one with drink in hand at the cocktail reception, but if all else fails just look for the hair.)
So excited to meet y’all!!!
The Calling
March 16th, 2010 § 7 Comments
The weekend was a success!
I spent the St. Pat’s holiday with two of my hometown gals – Laura and Amy – and I think it’s safe to say we had more than our fair share of fun! Here we’re at Primanti Brothers – famous for putting fries on sandwiches (don’t knock it til you try it – and yes I had one later._ We trekked all over Pittsburgh spreading green cheer along with over 100,000 others!
Looking through pictures and videos from this weekend, I think it’s safe to say I haven’t laughed that much in a long time. These girls are hilarious and truly nothing beats my childhood friends. Love you girls!!
I crashed around 4 p.m. Saturday, only to be woken up several times by Carrie and Jay and his friend, Ryan, bouncing on my bed urging me to wake up and come downstairs to join the party at our house. Eventually I rallied, but I stuck to water the whole night. We ended up playing the post-it note game (I guess it’s similar to the one played in “Inglorious Bastards”) where you have a famous person, movie, etc written on a post-it on your head and you go around in a circle asking yes or no questions to try to figure out who/what you are. It can get pretty hilarious and also pretty tricky but we have played it at a few parties and it’s always a blast!
This is from New Year’s – I don’t have a shot from this weekend, but you get the point - tons of fun as you can see.
And as if I even had to say it, the John Mayer concert was a.maze.ing.
Believe it or not, he sounds even better live than he does in concert. I mean, how often does that happen? He played for two solid hours – a mix of tunes from his current album “Battle Studies,” from previous albums and even a few covers. I can’t pick just one favorite of mine, just know that it was damn good.
Sorry for the shadows! That’s me and my friend, Greg. He’s a fellow journalist I went to college with and probably a bigger John fan than me. He bought a shirt that says “I heart JM” only the heart is a broken heart – the symbol for his tour I am guessing – so when we were waiting for the concert to start we were yelling, “C’mon John Mayer, I broken heart you!!” It was hilarious.
Anyhow, I found everything about John to be completely mesmerizing. I can’t stop listening to his music and wanting to go so badly back to the concert. It’s something about the way you feel when you’re listening to live music – just in the moment – no? He didn’t talk a whole lot, but what he did say was unforgettable. He talked about how he feels lucky and blessed to be able to stand on a stage and do what he does for a living – I know, I know, you probably hear that at every concert, right? Well he talked about how it’s a calling. He said that when you have a calling, it can make life tough. In order to follow it, you have to give up a lot. He said there are so many people who walk this world, fully knowing their calling, and never follow it. “That’s why it’s called a calling,” he said. You have the choice to follow it. I have been going through a lot in my mind about my calling and what my future holds, including everything I’d have to give up to get there, so his words stuck in my mind and have stayed there for four days. I wish I could have recorded it, you just had to be there to feel the passion and truth in what he was saying. I was really surprised, given his interviews as of late, but he does have another side to him – perhaps that’s what sucked Jess and Jen in?? Regardless, he definitely had an impact on me and for that I am so grateful I went.
Concerts and Shamrocks
March 12th, 2010 § 14 Comments
Happy Friday y’all!! Today is the first of two glorious days off for myself and I have lots of fun things planned. Tonight I am traveling a few hours west to see John Mayer in concert. As I have said before, I don’t particularly care for him as a person but I have been a big fan of his music since before the days of “Your Body is a Wonderland.” Which, by the way was an entirely different Mr. Mayer if you ask me. All sweet and lovely, then last month we have him talking about masturbation? Please, John, hold it together tonight. While I’m no concert junkie, I have been to quite a few in my day:
- 98 Degrees (Jessica Simpson opened and got booed!)
- Backstreet Boys
- LFO (I wish I was kidding)
- Rascal Flatts
- Gary Allan
- Justin Timberlake/Christina Aguilera/Black Eyed Peas
- P!nk/Justin Timberlake with special appearance by Timbaland
- Kenny Chesney/Sugarland/Lady Antebellum
- Lil Wayne/Young Money
- Girltalk
- The Ting Tings/P!nk
They have all been really great concerts, each in their own way (I mean, can’t you tell from my expression in the pictures?!) However, they have all been really crazy-get-up-out-your-seat concerts too, and we all know homeboy tonight won’t be getting too nuts. Still, I look forward to adding another one to the list. Concerts are such a great time, what ones have you been to? Asking that question is a great way to get to know someone. Although, I don’t know what my list says about me??
Tomorrow is the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Pittsburgh. Ours is the second biggest in the country! Seeing that I am 1/4 Irish and I have permanently inked myself to tell the world so, I am hype for tomorrow. We start the festivities early, including a parade and maybe a green beer or eight two. This calls for me breaking out my fancy glass.
PS It says “Irish I had more green beer” at the bottom. Told ya I’m hard. Happy weekend!!
The truth is, it’s me
March 9th, 2010 § 8 Comments
Lately I have been feeling a little like this..
Pretty and vivid, yes, but a blur nonetheless. I could blame it all on my work schedule, which I frequently do, but the truth is it’s me keeping myself busy. I have been doing the whole training thing (a huge shout out of thanks to everyone for your lovely comments – you guys are seriously the greatest support group out there) which has included not one but two five-mile runs. Albeit there was walking, I can remember when a distance like that felt like an impossible feat (kind of like 13 miles seems now). It just amazes me how far I’ve come; two minutes of running used to leave me wheezing and wanting to quit. Last night we ran right past where the finish line is for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon and we were imitating what we’d do when we crossed it – you know, hands up maybe a little fist pumping? I love to visualize that moment especially when I am at a hard place in my run when I want to stop.
Speaking of, this Sunday my pastor shared an interesting message about faith that I think you can also apply to training. (Yes I love my pastor so much you will see a lot of his thoughts on here and how they pertain to life as I see it.) He talked this week about transitioning. Namely, the difference between ourselves when we are working/praying toward something and when we actually get there (be it a promotion, a relationship, health, etc.) It’s almost natural for us to work harder, pray harder, be better people when we are wishing, wanting and praying for something. Then, once the goal is accomplished, we stop being faithful toward it and settle with thanks, thinking, “Oh I am blessed, I am thankful, I am done. I have everything I wanted, I don’t need to work toward it anymore.” He said once we reach the place we’ve been working toward, we should transition through it but it’s not the end. Rather it’s the beginning of something else.
I think anyone who’s trained for a race can relate to this. Obviously in the months and weeks leading up to it we are working hard – probably harder than we ever have – to reach the goal we are looking to achieve, whether it be for time, PR or just to finish. Once we cross that line, take a million pictures, ice, hydrate and eat our weight in calories what’s next? I know that after my Turkey Trot I cut myself way too much slack. The running ceased and you might as well forget about the gym. I can blame it on the holiday rush and traveling, which I frequently did, but the truth is, it was me keeping myself from it.
This time around I’d really like to do things differently. Instead of letting that finish line be the end, I want it to be the beginning of a lifetime commitment to running, training, healthy living – whatever definition fits my life. I mean, I’ve spent the better part of a year building this foundation, why would I just leave the rest of the building unfinished?
What are your thoughts? Whether it be training for something or working toward another goal, does accomplishing it let you sit back and settle? Or does it push you forward to start something new? I’d love to hear from you on this, whether through a comment or via email. You can always reach me at thetwentyfifthyear [at] gmail [dot] com.
Happy thinking!!
It’s Official..Again
March 4th, 2010 § 20 Comments
Last evening, I received an e-mail.
Dear Caitlin,
Congratulations! You are now registered for Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon.
To me, that one simple line changes me. As Hal Higdon says, running 13.1 miles isn’t easy. If it was, there would be little challenge to an event like a half marathon. I’m using his Novice Training Plan and so far I like it. I had to take a week off after my tumble down the steps, but I know that it was smarter for me to rest than push through an injury.
This little beauty (found here) has now taken up permanent presence on my fridge. And embracing my inner-kindergartener I will be coloring every workout, every week. After all, seeing is believing, no?
Now that I have actually taken my words and turned them into actions, I have to admit I am a bit terrified. I am also extremely excited. Not but eight months ago, I couldn’t maintain a jog for more than two minutes. Before my first 5K, I had never run three miles. Prior to my Turkey Trot, I had never run more than four. Today as part of my training, I’ll be running five. I’ve overcome exercise induced asthma, quit smoking and have two road races under my belt. Here’s to the third – may it be more than a charm, but rather, the best yet!
More Than
March 2nd, 2010 § 3 Comments
Hello friends! Today I want to share with you a guest post I did for Heather at Then Heather Said as part of her More Than series. Please make sure you check out other posts in the series as well as Heather’s posts. She is insanely witty, hilarious and insightful and a very dear blend of mine.
When Heather approached me about writing the series, she asked me to write about a time when I had to make a healthy decision for myself. I truly believe that healthy living is more than working out and eating well. It’s about taking time for your mind, your soul and your heart. While I have been through a lot this year already, I decided to write about a time in my life where my health was severely dependent on making a very hard decision. Please go check it out!!
More Than: Caitlin of 25th Year
If you think about it, “healthy living” is probably instilled – if not forced – into our lives from a young age. Spend a day in an elementary school and you can hear it bouncing off the walls.
“Finish your vegetables”
“Don’t run with gum in your mouth.”
“Walk down the hall. I SAID WALK!”Fast forward to middle and high school and the conversation turns more serious to risks like peer pressure, sex, drugs and alcohol.
By the time a young adult gets to college, they’ve heard it all. And chances are, they may have to suffer the consequences of turning a blind eye to what they know to be healthy living.
My upbringing was that of a normal kid. I was told “no” when I should have been and obeyed the rules (for the most part). I partook in the typical college activities (Pitt frats I’m sorry and I love you) but in all, my biggest healthy living challenges were ones I faced post-grad. The first 18 months that followed cap and gown were the ones that shaped me like no other.
