Jumping back into Crossfit

This week marked my return to the CF box (gym) after almost 2 weeks off.  I was excited to get back to it, but would have gladly missed it had an injury, any injury presented itself.  My first day back wasn’t too bad, but then today…ooohh…this was a toughie all around. 

It all started with the warm-up which included all kinds of fun exercises to throw off my balance.  Then we worked on handstand push-ups for our first skill exercise.  Yep, handstand push-ups, as in you stand on your hands and lower your head almost to the floor, push-up and then repeat as many times as possible.  So how many was I able to do???

Of course, none!  I’m not even ready to try a handstand!    So I did scaled handstand push-ups, with my feet on a box, my rear up and my head as close to vertical as I could possibly get it.  I am sure it was a comical sight, and this was one of those moments that I thank the CF powers that be who are anti-gym mirrors.

The actual work-out of the day was a dozy too- 3 rounds of 50 m shuttle, 3 clean and jerks, 50 m dumb-bell lunges, 100 m farmer’s walk, 10 dumb-bell thrusters, and 10 box jumps.

I know I will feel it tomorrow!

Family Vacation, part 1

We just returned from a wonderfully relaxing and full road trip up to the northern woods of Montana.  Here is a peek at the trip up there.

One of the great things about driving through N. CA is the varying views of this awesome mountain.

 

The mouth of a lava tube.

The family exploring the depths of the lava tube.

 

The vast impact of a volcano.

Gluten Free Dining Santa Cruz: Crow’s Nest

I discovered that the Crow’s Nest at the wharf offers a rather detailed gluten free menu.  This provides the gluten free diner hope for an informed kitchen, and my server was very gracious and helpful as I pieced together my dinner (taking part of the evening’s special and part of the standard menu.)

The Crow’s Nest receives very high marks for location and view, and that view will bring me back again, particularly because I don’t have to agonize over the ingredients in the menu.

The Crow’s Nest doesn’t usually receive very high marks for the food.  It is good, but not excellent.  Nothing to write home about, save for the fact that I can eat it without anxiety, and I can see the sailboats while I eat it.

Forest of Nisene Marks 5k

“Runner” 594, that was me. 

I wasn’t really a runner, more of a walker, trying to be a fast walker with a little bit of running thrown in for good measure, but I did complete my first 5k this month.  Thanks to the kind and persistant work of my sister Anna (who ran, really ran, the 1/2 marathon, finishing 1st in her category and 33rd over all) and the kind and persistent nudging of my friend Sara, I decided to go for it.  

Can you imagine how nervous I was?  How silly to be nervous, but I was.  I was nervous about finishing last, I was nervous about feeling totally out of place among all the runners, I was nervous, nervous, nervous.  But having set my first personal record at Crossfit earlier that week (213# on the deadlift), I had finally wrapped my head around what everyone around me was trying to tell me-I just needed to do it, take that step, and set a time to beat next time.

All of my nervousness was for not-I didn’t finish last, I didn’t get lost (on that very long, convoluted 5k trail with miles markers and orange cones ), I drank a ton of water and still didn’t have to stop during the 5k like the lady in front of me to visit the bathroom, and no one asked me what I thought I was doing at a race.

Actually so many people were nice, helpful and encouraging.  It was fun and almost other-worldly to be greeted at the finish line by people with huge grins and hearty congratulations, it was a treat to have a free massage because I was a racer, and I now have my first race shirt, a rather hideous, day glow yellow shirt. And now I will have to work up a whole new level of determination to actually wear that thing in public…

A Gracious Blog Award

My friend Renee, from the Add More Chocolate blog, has graciously granted me a bloggy award.  She is very, very kind, obviously offering this in the hope that this blog will in fact live on.  

Thank you, Renee.  You are a wonderful friend, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Crossfit

Although I proudly blog without obligation, even I must admit that this has been a disappointing dry spell.  It is certainly time to re-enter the blog world, and I have absolutely no reason for the long absence.

No excuses, but I do have something new.  I have entered the crazy world of Crossfit, and Crossfit and I have a very complicated love/hate relationship.  Crossfit is a fitness program that has been pushing me to my physical limits, bringing sore muscles, nausea after a workout, and the feeling that I might not be able to even go one more step.  It also brings strength, endurance, a sense of accomplishment, and the knowledge that I am taking giant steps toward better health and fitness. 

You can go here to see a picture of me and some of my fellow CFers.  I will warn you that a few minutes of browsing the CF West Santa Cruz site with the thought that I go there will probably bring your jaw to the floor.  It is truly shocking, I know. 

I will try to not become a tedious CF workout of the day poster here on my blog, but I just might pop out with something now and then.  I have even discovered that Crossfit is the classical fitness program.  Stay tuned for that fascinating connection!

Getty Villa, part 2: The Inspired Dinner

I have a fairly irrational love of the Mediterranean, and the Getty Villa just brought all those ushy-gushy feelings of long lost familial connection to all things Greek. 

(By way of explanation-yes, I know that the Villa is Roman, but I haven’t been to Italy yet, so I don’t know if I have a Roman/Italian connection.  This also explains why I must classify my love here as irrational, since there is more Mediterranean land still unexplored by me than land which I have seen, by a looooong shot.  But I still hold fast to my love, love which I choose to think of as some how familial, due to the fact that I have one grandmother of unknown heritage.  Her closed adoption has provided various children and grandchildren the fun of picking the heritage of the month.

This really is all related to the Getty and the dinner I made on Sunday.  After I returned from our field trip, I started planning our Sunday dinner, and I knew it had to be Mediterranean inspired. No other dinner idea would satisfy my Greek love.  It was delicious.

For your own culinary trip to the Getty Villa:

Honey Orange Pork Kebabs

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

the orange peel from one orange (sliced, with the white pith removed)

1/2 cup olive oil

6 tablespoons honey

6 tablespoons orange juice

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 dry bay leaves

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 pounds cubed pork loin       

1 red bell pepper, cubed

1 red onion, cut into chunks

Preparation-

Combine rosemary, orange peel, olive oil, honey, orange juice, lemon juice, and garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add pork, stirring to coat with marinade. Cover; chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Thread pork and vegetables onto skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill pork until cooked through, turning frequently and brushing occasionally with marinade, about 12 minutes.

Potato Sald with Olives, Tomatoes, and Capers from epicurious.com

Greek Island Rice Pilaf 

3 cups brown rice, cooked

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain

3 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped

chopped pistachios

salt and pepper to taste

Simply stir everything together and enjoy!

Field Trip to the Getty Villa

Outer Peristyle at the Getty Villa

The Getty is absolutely incredible and entirely worth the trip to Malibu.  I have no doubt that this over-night trip was a wonderful capstone to our year of Ancient History.  Getty turned his summer home into this villa, modeled from a partially uncovered home near the Bay of Naples.  The Villa provides us with such an inspiring picture of some many things Roman-the architecture, murals, sculpture, gardens, home design.  The Villa allows us an opportunity to walk in a disctinly Ancient Roman dwelling.

Gardens

This was the scene the night before…It was certainly busy, fun and crazy at times, but totally, completely worth it.

Budding Creative Writers

Writing is a major component of our tutorial classes, and I can be a bit of the academic writing nazi, driving them as they work to improve their essay writing skills.  My students work incredibly hard and have a lot to show for their labors, but I do know that in all that work, they long for greater writing freedom and creativity.

We are currently right in the midst of a wonderful story writing project, and there is no doubt that all of my students’ previous hard work is paying off now.  Their enthusiastic and fearless approach to writing is quite a sight to behold!  It is music in a teacher’s ears to be repeatedly asked if a student can turn in an assignment early, or if they can have a little more time to edit and revise (not because they haven’t already completed the expected work, but because more class discussion leads to more refinement.)

I love giving students permission to re-write, and revise their blood, sweat and writing tears.  Mind you, I am not assigning more editing and writing and hearing moans, groans and seeing the eyes roll.  They ask to edit.  They want to write one more page or one more chapter and totally revamp a character.  Peer review is marked by meaningful comments and thoughtful reception of these comments. They want to hear my critiques and criticisms, and they follow them. 

This my friends, is the unique joy in teaching.

Random Shopping Thoughts for the Day

I am not pretending that my random thoughts are particularly interesting, insightful or impactful, but this is all that comes to mind and I promised myself that I would post more often.  But don’t worry, there is nothing on my list of goals that says you have to read every post, so everything is good!

Why do we, as educated, civilized Americans, think it is somehow ok to leave our trash, quite frequently fast-food trash, in the parking lot?  What have we not been passing on to subsequent generations so that now it seems to be acceptable among far too many people to simply open your door and set your lunch trash on the ground? 

What makes a person a grocery cart returner?  And not just a returner, but a neat stacker of carts?  How can we get more of these?

Did you know that people still buy Wonder Bread, even here in the enlightened state of California?  I knew that people must, since it is still on the shelves, but I was none the less surprised to see it in the groceries in front of me.  I don’t think I know anyone who buys it (my mom never did, even when we wanted her to), and if you are a Wonder Bread purchaser, feel free to come clean here, but know that it might make me wonder about you, even if I love you. 

And for my final thought, why oh why does my Safeway now have all kinds of photocopied sale sheets plastered on the front doors and all around the cheese/deli case?  It looks so supremely tacky, and it will only serve to drive me to the new Whole Foods…