In Like a Lion...

I woke this morning to the sound of thunder. The rain has been coming down for days. We are creeping closer to our annual average, but still below where we need to be to remove the "drought" label from California's status report. Snow is falling in the Sierras, hushing the patter of rain with which it alternates.

For those of you who are also concerned about my grandma, let me say that she is not well. She is now much less well than she has been.

Like the time between the lightning and the thunder, this is a quiet and apprehensive time.

The Next Eight Weeks

Ok, I mentioned this on facebook, so some of you already know, but I signed up for my first triathlon. Yep, that's right, me, your friend Tam. Eight weeks from now, at Lake Berryessa in May, I'll be swimming, biking and running my little self across and around the lake at eight in the morning.

How do I feel about this? I'm trying to stay calm and not freak out. The numbers seem doable: 1/2 mile swim, 11 mile bike, 3 mile run. All things that I do already or can do. I'm hoping it will be fun. For now, I'm just trying to keep myself from getting injured so that I can finish the darn thing.

I know nothing at all about how to go about this. In case you are considering dipping your toes in the triathlon waters as well, or just want to come along for the swim, run, ride, I thought that I would share the things I learn along the way.

So far:

1. This from the former triathlete physical therapist I saw today to help me with my mild IT band issue:

To test a running shoe to make sure it has adequate support: a) first, push in on the sides of the back of the shoe, where it cups the heel. They should only bend in 1/2" on each side. b) Next, holding the front and back of the shoe from the bottom, twist in opposite directions, to see how much flex there is. Again, the shoe should be fairly rigid, and shouldn't collapse. c) Last, hold the shoe at the front and back again, and bend it upwards. If the shoe "breaks" or easily bends at a right angle at the arch, where your foot doesn't, it might force your foot to bend or push off awkwardly to compensate.

This is why the $50 special Asics I got on sale from Big 5 make my feet feel flat and my knees feel tired, but the same brand, different style, that I bought from a local running store for twice that, don't. Some styles offered by the same company offer more support and stability. Save your knees and hunt down the right shoes for you. New running shoes should be as comfortable as bedroom slippers. If bedroom slippers came with a nice firm corset of support around the arch and heel, that is.

2. Running shoes should be changed every 500 miles or so. Figure out how much, roughly, you run a week, and from there, figure out how long your shoes will last. If you're just starting out like me, this may seem like a huge number that you'll never reach, but you will eventually. Do this on the day you buy them and put it on your calendar so you're thinking about it BEFORE your feet and knees remind you. I suggested to my local running store that they send out a postcard (even email) every season or twice a year to their customers, reminding them of how much better they'll run and feel when they keep their shoes up to date. (It goes without saying that you should not get new shoes the week or day before your event, just in case, so plan ahead.)

3. A friend who is a triathlon pro says to take a can't-be-missed bright towel for your changing/transition area. Something like neon pink or a bold print, so that you can sort your stuff out from the crowd. He also suggests a little dish tub and a container of water for rinsing your feet after the swim, as sandy toes do not feel good once on dry land. It was also news to me that you can't be naked in the transition area. I had envisioned little Victorian-era canvas cabanas in neat little rows, or at least, a very crowded bathroom. This is going to take some planning...

4. The consensus seems to be that the bike to run transition is the suckiest. I'm trying to think of it as the home stretch.

5. Wetsuits, should you need one, can be rented for the day of the event. The company that does it rents it to you for 40 days, so you have time before your event to practice in it. If you like it, and you keep it beyond the 40 days, you keep it, and they keep your deposit. If you're done with it, send it back and pay just the rental fee. Cool. I perused the pictures from last year's race, and it looked like 90% of the people wore wetsuits in the 70-degree water.

6. Some people use toe-cages on the bike so that they can bike in their running shoes to save time.

That's it for now. If there is anyone who has advice or tips for me, send 'em on in. If there are any beginner triathletes out there who happen to go to Health Spa Napa Valley and want a buddy for run, bike or swim, let me know, too.

Getting Our Money's Worth

(self portrait with alligator)

This was my third visit to the Academy of Sciences, this time with the whole Nattress family. The taxidermied animals in the dioramas are odd, a little disconcerting to the children accustomed to seeing things alive. But they are beautiful, lovingly-rendered taxidermy, and they do hold still. My charter membership runs out at the end of this month if I don't choose to renew it, so I'm glad we've gotten to go several times so far.

Assorted New Pictures

Here, in lieu of further discussion about my dog's psychological issues, are some recent photos. I'm proud to say that the only thing that I posted to facebook today was: "Tamara wears wool socks." One day at a time.

(Forgot to caption this earlier: Three weeks ago, I slipped on an icy cattle guard while running Pixie, and fell through it. I bonked my shin pretty hard, and the photo above is what my hand still looked like a week and a half later- bruised, discolored and puffy.)

My hero.



Below: After a recent visit to Michael Chiarello's new Yountville NapaStyle shop, I was inspired to come home and make and shoot a sundried tomato, cheese and arugula panini sandwich.


And that's it for now.

Drama Queen

Today, Pixie had her toenails trimmed at the vet's. The reason she had it done at the vet's is that we have escalated at home from a sweet, placid dog who snoozes while her nails are being clipped to a gnawing maniac dog who acts as though you've just suggested that as long you have her paw in hand, you're going to chop it off with an axe.

She continued to harbor this belief at the veterinarian's office. It was a traumatic experience for both the dog and the vet tech, who, though used to working with large, unruly animals, still came away with scratches. Pixie herself got a nosebleed afterwards. I've never in my life met a dog who had a nosebleed at all, much less after grooming.

I do not understand this. I do understand that I have somehow compounded the problem in the eight months that I've had her. Ever since my family's first dog, Cid, I have a psychological resistance to dog toenail trimming. It's always been a big event, involving every family member capable of holding down a limb. The dog is never happy, the trimmers never sharp or fast enough, and someone always ends up bleeding. There's got to be a better way.

Even my beloved, well-trained Shetland Sheepdog, Duffy, who would fall asleep and snore through meticulous, full-body blow-drying, was not a treat to trim. And I disagree with Cesar Milan's assessment about being the pack leader. Duffy hung on my every word, obeying all of my commands at a distance or by hand signal only. He worshiped me. But he begged to differ, with all due respect, as they say, about the nail trimming. Am I doing it wrong?

Should I buy one of these? (Be sure to stay for the video. Why do all the spokespeople sound like they were recruited from the Lubbock WalMart?)

Should I hire a dog trainer? Cesar Milan says to tire the dog completely out until she can barely move, then utilize an assistant and a towel and say "tsch!" a lot. The perky English woman suggests I should distract Pixie from the unpleasantness with a treat in her face whenever I approach her with the trimmers, but I only have two hands. I can't hold the dog, hold the paw, hold the trimmers AND hold the treat. So it goes like this: Paw. Good. Treat. Good dog. Trimmers up, treat away...paw away. Paw. Good. Treat. Good. Trimmers. Oh no, paw away. Paw back. Treat. Good. Paw. Good. Whoops! Repeat until you collapse or give up.

Another site I found suggested that to reassure a dog who has had a traumatic clipping experience, I should start slowly and progress over a period of weeks, maybe even months, feeding my dog a stream of her very favorite treats while initially touching her paw, then holding it, then touching one toenail with the clippers but not using them, then squeezing but not cutting, and on and on. Is this really what it takes? Isn't there some dog toenail-whisperer who can walk up to a dog, and with the force of his or her Robert Redford-like will, subdue a pooch into a state of calm submission and wordlessly do the deed?

I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe that I, a mature, college-educated person, can't figure out how to trick a dog into letting me groom her in peace. She takes bathing in stride. I could probably brush her teeth if I wanted to. But until I figure this toenail thing out, she will remain the queen.

(Please feel free to send your stories of toenail clipping success my way. No horror stories about dog nosebleeds, please.)

Why the Blog Hasn't Been Updated

Facebook, I've decided, is like a cute boyfriend with a teensy drinking problem: charming, fun, distracting, irreverent, irresponsible and ultimately not good for you. Best taken in small doses.

The night before last, I was IMing three different people, rapid fire, at the same time (sorry, I didn't think it was a good idea to tell you that you weren't the only one). I sort of fb'd myself out. This is not to say I am sooo popular that I can't keep up with all my "friends". I don't have that many, and I don't go around collecting acquaintances like so many Easter eggs in a basket. I just think everyone happened to be on at the same time, so while I was having a long conversation with one person, I was chatting lightly with a couple of others for part of the time.

Here is the kind of witty repartee that results from the fb experience:

one of my friends was telling me about the great day he had snowshoeing in the morning and going to the beach at night, and I said that would be my idea of a perfect day if it included bacon, and he said bacon rules, and I said I'm going to sign all of my emails bacon rules from now on and he said are you a fan of bacon and I said does bacon have a fanclub? and we both ran over and found out that yes it does and we joined it

...and that is the kind of stuff that happens on fb. So far, three people (not that I'm trying to sound popular) have asked me about the bacon fan club or joined it themselves.

Is it fun? Yes. Is it sort of dumb? Totally. Is it an interesting trend that people are seeking the anti-social social? Yes. I could pick up the phone and talk to each of these people, but I don't have anything that important to say (obviously). It's the tech version of the teenage phonecall "What are you doing? Nothing. Me too." that can still last for hours. I don't know if they're busy, and I probably should be doing something else myself. It's multitasking, it's checking in on the ones you love, albeit peripherally. It's good to have a sense of what is going on in friends' lives, because sometimes the things that make up our lives from day to day aren't the big, life-changing news things, but the little every day things like eating scones, planning a birthday party, going snowshoeing, or liking bacon. Enough to join its fanclub...

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

(Adapted from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook)

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1.5 lbs rhubarb, ends trimmed, peeled if tough, and cut into 3/4" slices
1 cup plus 1 T sugar
1 recipe pie crust for a double crust pie
(2.5 c flour, 1 tsp each sugar and salt, 1/2 cup each shortening and butter, ice water)
1 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 T arrowroot powder (you'll like this, go ahead and buy some)
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
2 teaspoons grated zest of 1 orange
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Tools
Food processor is handy for crust
Parchment paper handy for rolling
Knife and cutting board
Skillet or saute pan

Method
1. Preheat oven to 475. Adjust a rack to the lowest level and place a rimmed baking sheet on it.
2. Saute rhubarb briefly in oil to remove moisture, toss with 1/4 c sugar, refrigerate to chill.
3. Make and roll out bottom crust, place in pie pan
4. Mix together 3/4 c sugar, arrowroot and salt. Add to hulled, quartered strawberries. Drain rhubarb and mix with strawberries. Pour all into pan and flatten lightly.
5. Roll out top crust, place on top (*To use a pie bird, cut and x in the center of the crust when folded. Insert bird in filling and place crust on top.), trimming ends and rolling top crust edges under bottom crust edges. Press to seal, flute or crimp with fork.
6. Make plenty of vents in top of pie or use a pie bird. (This is a juicy pie.)
7. Brush top crust with beaten egg white, sprinkle with 1 T sugar.
8. Place pie on baking sheet, reduce temperature to 425.
9. Bake for 25 minutes, rotate pie and reduce temperature to 325.
10. Bake 30-35 minutes more, remove and cool at room temperature 3-4 hours.

Yes, you can eat this pie hot right out of the oven, but allowing it to cool completely will gel the filling so that it stays with the piece it belongs in, so I say wait.

Do refer to the real cookbook for detailed instructions and explanation of their methods.

Damn, I make a nice crust.

Online Eye Candy Link-O-Rama

One of my favorite Sunday afternoon activities is leafing through a link-rich publication like Bust or Readymade, and then checking them all out on line.

Here are some links for your day off perusing pleasure: airbedandbreakfast (rooms for rent in private homes all over the world), sharesomecandy.com, ffffound.com, photojojo.com, domestic-construction, theselby, thedesignfiles, truefilms, duluthtimber, lavender and limes, jensiska, smart girls at the party. These are just a few of the sites I noted last night. I also love to surf Bust's entire music section, including the music ads, looking for and listening to things I never would have found in my own plodding progression through Amoeba.

PS- 26. I collect vintage train cases. If anyone has one lying around, or comes across one cheap at a yard sale, I'll take it. I lean toward the older, straight-sided cases in cool, natural colors like aqua, cream, yellow, caramel, green and modern prints that will look good in my bungalow, but I have cases of all shapes and colors. I envision a wall of them someday.

27. I am not interested in scrapbooking.

Abbie's Visit

looks like I need to re-export some bigger images...

Two More Things

24. I want to like Nina Simone, I really do. This is a great song, but sometimes her voice sounds like someone trying to put a cat in a bag.

25. I walked in a wedding with the linguist who created the Klingon language.

Go Ruth

"Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so slight, so frail, so like your bubbe in her tight bun and Boca-size glasses, was pissed.When she read aloud from the bench a summary of her dissent in Gonzales v. Carhart, her words were incandescent, shimmering with rage and steely reason.

The protection of reproductive rights, she said, is not a matter of "some vague or generalized notion of privacy" but of "a woman's autonomy to decide for herself her life's course, and thus to enjoy equal citizenship stature.""

Read the rest of Rebecca Traister's article about Ruth Bader Ginsberg at Salon.com

23 things

For facebookers, or fb-ers, who have "tagged" me with 25 facts about themselves, here's the post I wrote a week or so ago with 23 things about me.

By the way, I have been at the computer for an hour this morning and have accomplished nothing thanks to facebook.

I Love Lucy

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. -Lucille Ball

Kid Fix

Last night I chilled with my homegirls Maggie and Molly (hee). Our project for the evening was pie. The girls peeled the apples, stirred, cut the butter, rolled out the crust, and helped flute the edges. They were very good little pastry chefs. It was deeeeelicious. Not to mention the fact that they were absolutely adorable, kissy, giggly and sweet all evening. Just what I needed. Don't tell their parents, though. They still think I'm doing them a favor by watching the girls.

Pictured

The cookie pictured in the header is this one from last Valentine's Day. I don't recommend using the Meyer lemon. It weirded out the flavor. A classic shortbread recipe would be better. Maybe one with less than three sticks of butter in it. But they were pretty.