Friday Five, Part 1

This blog needs a regular feature.

Back in the the days of blog #1, I never really participated in the Friday Five, but lots of my favorite reads did. I've decided to make up for those days by Friday fivin' it up over here on Day's Adventures.

Readers, you may play along too if you're so inclined!! Questions are found at friday5.org.

1. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
I love biking! At least, I loved biking when I lived in Madison, which is quite possibly the friendliest biking city on the planet.

2. Are you outdoors not often enough, too often, or just often enough?
Well, that depends. I spend pleny of time outside walking to the train and waiting for the train. I definitely do not spend enough time outside just for the sake of being outside. I should take a journey to Central Park, and soon!

3. When was the last time you slept in a tent?
I camped it with three other female horn players, next to two or three more tents filled with even more horn players, at the 2003 I H S conference in Bloomington, IN. This was possibly the most fun I've had "camping" and it was the best I H S conference I ever attended because of it.

4. Where is your favorite beach?
I have fond memories of one of the beaches on the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Indiana Dunes, it's called. The parking lot is directly south of the largest namesake dune, and one has a choice between braving the upward climb to get to the water, or navigating the winding trails around it. Forgoing the latter in favor of the former was a turning point in my young life.

5. In what social, academic, or professional group are you on the outer fringes of? In what social, academic, or professional group are you right in the middle of?
I suppose I can consider myself a quasi-outsider at work, as publishing issues happen all around me without my knowledge or comprehension. This element of my "profession" actually drives the knowledge-seeker in me a little crazy.

I'm sadly in the middle of the loop in the amatuer musician cicuit here in the city. I say "sadly" because this is not really what I'd like to do with my musical self: sit in a chair for 3 hours, mindlessly follow whichever crappy conductor is trying deperately to build a resume brick-by-brick, deal with the horrendous sounds that inevitably accompany the level of musicianship brought to these gigs. I'd much rather play current instrumental music (experimental, if you will) with a bunch of like minded musicians. But doesn't everyone want to play with similarly-skilled people? Isn't that the whole point??

Mmmmm. Donuts.

As per Leena's suggestion, I added a visit to Donut Plant to my Saturday plans. It was a welcome treat, especially in addition to the lovely weather we had in New York this weekend.

This picture shows the exterior of the Donut Plant, which is located on the Lower East Side. We ordered one Peanut Butter and Jelly Donut, one Chocolate Cake Donut, and a Vanilla Bean and Raspberry Donut. They totaled $7.00 for the three, which was a shock to me, as I am rather used to paying $.99 for Sweetwater Donuts back in K-zoo. I hoped they would prove to be worth the price.

Just as I was thinking so, a generous Donut man asked if we'd like a Cinnamon Donut on the house. Well, of course we would, thank you very much. This reduced the overall charge to $7.00 for 4 donuts, which isn't so bad given the pricing scheme in these parts.

We took our donuts outside to a nearby "park" to take some outdoor nudes of the lovely square jelly-filleds. Here they are, all lined up for consumption.






Here is an impressionistic shot of our scrumptious chocolate cake donut.







And this is me enjoying my Vanilla Bean and Raspberry Donut. As far as donuts go, these particular donuts are a several cuts above average, as they are not quite so heavy as donuts you would find at chains across America. You can tell these donuts are made with pure love and quality ingredients.




Here is an "interior" shot of J.'s Peanut Butter and Jelly donut. I'm starting to understand why Leena calls photos such as these "food porn."

As you can see, the texture of the donut is light and flaky, and the jelly is perfectly balanced and contained. Even the topping is well balanced with the rest of the donut.


J. obviously enjoyed the chocolate cake donut. This chocolate mainstay was great too. A nice rich dark chocolate, with chocolate crumbs on top. Sort of like a round chocolate crumb cake, only not so filling.

We decided to stop eating at this point, as by now we'd both consumed 1.5 donuts, which is way above normal on the donut consumption scale, for the two of us health nuts, at least. Our next mission was dinner. We essentially decided where to eat by reading menus on restaraunt doorways in the LES. One cafe featured a veggie version of the Big Mac, with added soy bacon. I've never had soy bacon before, so I was all over it.

Needless to say, my reviews of the faux Big Mac are not as positive, or else I'd post a picture. The two big flaws for me: apparently, this place does not believe in serving onions, because our salads arrived sans onions, as did the burger. If I could stand it, I would eat onions all by themselves, so skipping the onions does not earn praise reviews from me. Also, their effort to mimic the special sauce by dumping 8 tablespoons of Thousand Island on the veggie burger was not appreciated at all. My search for New York's Best Veggie Burger is still underway.

After dinner, we went to see a show featuring two coworkers of mine, and then off to a friend's rocking birthday party in Washington Heights. This final picture was taken at 1:30 AM while we waited patiently for the 7-train. It is our free Cinnamon Donut, saving us from the monotony of the late night train ride.

Donuts to the rescue!!!

The Big Question

Last night, we had the second non-family visitor we've had since we moved to New York. Not a great track record, for sure, but that's what happens when you live way out in Queens. Only other people from Queens are willing to come over to see you.

Anyway, in about hour 3.5 of this person's visit, he asked if we thought we'd stay in New York for awhile. I think my wrinkled-nose, cocked head, shrugged shoulders reaction to that question gave away my true feelings on the matter.

This led to the obvious response: "You don't like it here?"

Honestly, I can't say for sure whether this is true. My explanation last night was that I'm finding that my temperament is shifting toward "easy-to-anger/annoy" on the patience-o-meter. Obviously, being somewhat of a loose cannon does not do wonders for one's general outlook.

Partially this is my own fault. I should not let crowded 7-trains, 5-minute lines just to walk up a flight of stairs, people who don't clean up after their dogs, the long commutes to anywhere I want to go, surviving endless rehearsing with shitty community music groups that feature oddly demanding personnel managers and irritating conductors, waking up earlier than I want to, dealing with the obvious clash of opinions between my department and the IT department (which is in London!!!), the complete lack of sunlight in half our apartment due to a wall that is 4 feet from my living room windows, our slowly deteriorating kitchen, my inability to finish a crossword puzzle, my lack of money to go out to eat more often, a kitty who meows in the middle of the night, and general lack of parties and good friends get to me.

That much is clear. So what's the remedy?

The Long Forgotten Gym Post

My reader-choice post was a-ways back; I had every intention of satisfying one request for an exercise related post, but then all my positive and self-congratulatory feelings seemed to vanish.

When I started my adventure in weight-lifting, I decided to go the path less traveled, at least for women-folk, and go to the free weight room with J. to work out. I was very happy about this, for about two weeks. I got to hang with the big guys and work out with the callus-creating bars and dumbbells. It was a source of pride for me, going in with high levels of seriousness, keeping a log, learning new exercises.

Problem was, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I'm still not certain how to focus on certain muscles, and target them based on certain exercises. I tried the best I could, but ultimately I am too much of a rookie to really understand how to maximize a workout using free weights.

So, with my tail between my legs, I returned to familiar territory: the circuit training area. It's much easier, as minimal thinking is involved. I'm happy to weight train either way, but the circuit room holds far less glory. But then, if being able to be boastful about the whole thing is what I'm really after, then I have a few lessons to learn!

Upon reflection on the 7 train on the way home today, I thought about the nature of getting in shape, and what one stands to learn from the enterprise. Then I decided to write a post about it, because I promised I would.

Here's what I'm learning about myself and this whole weight loss routine in the 2 months and 10 days since I began:

1. Just like playing music, maintaining a healthy, positive work out routine requires that one focuses on the process, not the results. This is my biggest lesson to learn. Even when I was an aspiring professional horn player, I was obsessed with the end results, instead of working slowly and diligently to a desired outcome. Funny how this issue has manifested in more than one area of my life. I must be humble and accept where I am and value where I am going, and still avoid being frustrated with the gap between the two.

2. It's not in one's best interest to become self-absorbed during the getting-in-shape process. (I had a dream the other night in which I was not only really skinny, but I was getting an award for being really skinny. If that's not an indication of obsession...)

There was a time when I would relentlessly ask J. if he could see any differences in my overall shape and size, if there was new definition in my arms, if I was losing weight fast enough, etc, etc, etc. That's a good way to annoy your boyfriend. It's ultimately not good for your mentality. This is going to be a long, arduous process, and I decided that I'm going to stop looking in the mirror every 15 minutes for signs of progress. It may just take a good year to lose all the weight I want and gain all the muscle I want. And then there's years and years of maintenance work. So what's the hurry?

3. Keeping it fresh is crucial. This is another thing I have yet to figure out. Day after day after day of the same routine in the gym starts to get a touch old after two months. So, I need to think up some good ways to get in shape away from the gym. We need bicycles. Then we need a good place to ride them. Like Central Park.

I guess all of my thoughts regarding the gym of late revolve around staying positive and not getting so discouraged. Now that I type that, I realize that if I can bring this attitude around with me even outside of the gym, I'll be much better off in general.

New Adventures in Good Food

I missed my camera on Monday. For the first time in awhile, I had a new dining experience that left an indelible mark on my cravings for good food.

As is customary over at Leena Eats This Blog, I would love to post a picture of the dish I ate at a Korean restaurant with my coworker on Monday. Unfortunately, I am not in the habit of schlepping my camera about with me, and, even more unfortunately, I do not know the name of this delicious, tasty dish. I only know that it is L5, hold the beef. As I am not a foodie, I couldn't even tell you what was in the thing. I guess I have no hope as a food critic.

But I still wish I had a picture. And I wish I could eat whatever-it's-called RIGHT NOW. My life would be complete.

Read the News Today, Oh Boy

It appears that Bush's recent appointee to the Supreme Court has finally made his conservative self known. The New York Times reported today that a ban against partial-birth abortion has been signed into law by a 5 to 4 vote.

I don't usually post about political issues on this blog, as I've mainly adopted a live-and-let-live policy since I meandered away from the liberal hotbed of Madison WI. Nevertheless, I do consider myself a feminist (though that's sometimes in question with other parts of me that are coming forth here in NY, but that's for another post) and the feminist that's still in me is both pissed off and really, really sad (and a little bit vindicated).

The most difficult part for me to swallow is that laws such as this interfere directly with the health of a patient; creating a law that disallows a procedure that may save someone's life is unconscionable.

Not to mention hypocritical. The rhetoric about the "sanctity of human life" is a bunch of crap. We must protect a fetus because God wants us to? Where's the science in that? Furthermore, where's the CHOICE?

But that's politics I guess. For women, politically speaking, it would seem that for every two steps forward, we take one back. Although I'd call forcing a women (or a teenage girl who may not have the resources to ACT before the baby becomes a "partial birth" fetus, which a pseudo-scientific made-up catch phrase to wit) to have a baby is about 800 steps backwards, but that's just me. Irrational, angry, God-hating feminist me.

Deep

You've probably heard about the death of Kurt Vonnegut. A tragedy, to be sure, but it's also good to know that he'd already written what he called his last novel. In a New York Times article, they closed a lengthy article about Mr. Vonnegut with a poem he'd written in 2005. I posted this on facebook, but am still suitably intrigued by it to include it on this blog as well:

Requiem:

When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
“It is done.”
People did not like it here.

Ask and It Is Given

Day's Top Five Favorite StarTrek TNG Eps:
5. Data's Day
4. The Inner Light
3. The Game
2. Best of Both Worlds, Parts I and II
1. I, Borg

Resistance is Futile

Just a brief update on my attempt to dump celebrity blogs and gossip columns and gossip mags. Well, I think I gave the status away in the subject line of this post, but I am giving myself two kudos for working in a StarTrek TNG reference. And two more kudos for the duplicate success of working in a MySpace innuendo too.

Anyway, back to the point. I gave up not so much because I *couldn't* quit the gossip rags, but because I have decided that J. is right. I am far too rules-y. I'm just like my mother in this regard-- if I can possibly come up with some rule for myself, I'll gladly do it.

This isn't so bad, sometimes. For example, I have a rule where if I pack my backpack with my gym clothes, I am going to the gym. No exceptions.

Other times it's a ridiculous way to live. I'm citing my mother's latest and greatest rule here because it illustrates two points (A. this is an inherited trapping and B. some rules are just stupid). Her rule is: no offering of unsolicited advice to any daughters at or above the age of 25. I guess it's great that I can expect no meddling, but in this day and age of extended adolescence, I willingly admit that I do not know what the hell I am doing and would appreciate all the help I can possibly get.

In light of this, and in light of my attempt to stop fencing myself in with all kinds of self-imposed rules, I will start small by nixing this rule of avoiding news about Britney Spears and Katie Holmes. While I will readily admit that it is sick and twisted, I will also argue that it's almost as sick and twisted to invent some silly rule that has no benefit beyond claiming moral superiority.

Henceforth, if you're looking for me, you'll have to look behind a Us Weekly. Because that is where I will be from now on.

Buffy + Physics = Love

I want this book.

That is all.

Sojourn

This past weekend I took a brief respite from the usual hectic city that is New York. My mother, who occasionally works in Philadelphia, invited me to spend the day with her in said city. So I took a pleasant journey via Amtrak to do so.

Fortunately for me, it was a very nice day outside, so we were able to do plenty of walking around. This was nice, as Philadelphia, while being a big city, has lots of space. I found the roominess surprising, actually, until my mother reminded me that this city is not crammed onto an island.

Being that we were there for a whole day, we ate out twice. The first meal took place at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. I was so happy to be able to eat anything off the menu that I ordered two large bowls of wonton soup. I haven't been able to eat that particular dish, even though it's my favorite item on the Chinese menu, for years and years. Six to be exact.

I ate a very enjoyable veggie burger at the second restaurant. I was pleased with it mainly because New York serves the worst veggie burgers ever. I'm not sure where they come from, but every single one I've tried is the same thing-- actual veggies mushed up with some sort of cohesive food element. Way too smooshy, and they distract from the taste of the other ingredients. I have yet to discover a good spot for the veggie burgers.

I also ate a Sunday for desert. Yum.

In between meals we went to see "Namesake" at the Ritz Theaters. It was alright.

Mixed in with all of the above were viewings of fun historical things like the liberty bell, and that brick building where they wrote the Declaration of Independence. Neat. I was particularly impressed to that there were buildings still standing from the colonial era.

I was glad to leave NYC for a short while, even if it was to see a different, less crowded and seemingly more clean city. I'm looking forward to doing so again.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Among the usual turn-over of pop culture advertisements in the subway stations, a poster turned up that announced the arrival of the Barnum & Bailey Circus to New York City. I found this particular poster rather bothersome, not only because the ring master's hairstyle is completely obnoxious, but because the elephant that accompanies him looks really unhealthy, with its patchy skin and forced "smile."

So I've been doing my best to ignore it. This was difficult, as the New York Times featured photograph in yesterday's paper was the processional of elephants on Times Square, and New York Magazine showed a different shot of the same event on their highbrow/lowbrow graph. Somehow, this image made it into the quadrant specified for highbrow and brilliant cultural events.

It's neither.

As it turns out, my innate mistrust of this circus, based on the poster alone, were not unfounded. I decided today (I'm not sure why) to look up peta.org during work today. I was immediately drawn to a subsidiary website called circuses.com, which is PETA's activist and educational circus-defrauding site.

The information I found there is truly harrowing. Apparently, Elephants are not only taken from their families at young ages, but they are tortured, chained, abused, and forced to do those parlor tricks out of fear of further abuse. There are accompanying photographs if you can stand to see them. I did not venture to the videos page; I don't think I could bear it.

It's difficult to imagine how human beings can do worse by a creature with such grace and gentleness. It's heartbreakingly depressing for me to think about how this type of treatment can exist, for elephants or any other creature on this Earth. I just don't understand how people can be so cruel.

Those of you who know me really well know how fascinated I am with regard to Elephants. I always have been, since before I can remember. I consider myself somehow linked to these creatures; if I admit to any sort of spiritual or metaphysical ideology, it's that I was an Elephant in a past life. As a result, I have been given a substantial collection of elephant related items (which includes two elephant piggy banks, an elephant mobile, several postcards of elephants, little elephant statues, and, of course, PeanutButter).

I wish I knew what I could do to help the situation. I know that activism must be involved. I recently attended a lecture by a woman who is responsible for elephantvoices.com, who spent roughly 20 years studying the communication patterns of Elephants in the Amboseli. She's set up a program comprised of community members, who work to record data about the comings and goings of a certain group of Elephants. From the date presented, it was clear that forging an understanding between people and animals is key to developing a method to sustain the animals. After all, the more we know someone, the less likely we are to shoot them for trespassing on the land we only imagine to be ours.

UPDATE: Further research has brought to my attention this article on human-elephant relations, and the cognitive similarity between the two groups.