Category Archives: Reviews

Midweek with a Movie Review

Posted on August 11, 2011 | 4 comments

How is it Thursday? This week is FLYING by. I last posted on Tuesday and really wanted to get back into the swing of any everyday post, but not happening. The good news is that we’ve made it over the mid-week hump and I’ve actually managed to get some running in.

Tuesday – no running to speak of. I’m pretty sure that was the day I attempted to run in the morning before work (a plan my husband laughs at whenever he hears it), but of course I just hit snooze instead. Seriously people – how do you do it? Unless I am meeting someone, I just can NOT seem to get up and run. It could have to do with the fact that a morning run for me means running at 5:45 a.m., which to my mind is CRAZY early. If I could run at 6:30, things might look a little different. But because of my work schedule, it has to be that early. ARGH!

So seriously – tell me your early morning running tricks. I think next time I may try sleeping in my running clothes. I believe this might instill a more pronounced sense of guilt if I’ve worn the clothes and done all the prep, only to hit the snooze five times. We’ll see how that works out for me. Other tips?

So because  I did not get my lazy arse up on Tuesday morning (or Wednesday), I decided to squeeze my run in before our book club meeting Wednesday evening. I fueled up with a decent lunch and then ate an early dinner of leftovers from Tuesday night.

Brown rice, chicken, grape tomatoes, mushrooms and carrots with low sodium soy sauce. It made for decent pre-run fuel on Wednesday afternoon as well.

After work I begrudgingly hit the gym treadmill for four quick miles before book club. An outside run would have been ideal, but not realistic given my time constraints.

Run done – feeling better, I headed to our book club meeting which happened to at a movie theater this time around (we usually meet at a restaurant that coincides with our book theme) to see The Help. I actually read The Help awhile ago and you can check out my book review here.

I will say upfront that I RARELY like a movie even half as much as the book. So I was a little surprised when halfway through the movie, I found myself enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked the book better. But the movie did not make me want to scream insults or get up and leave. And before you say it sounds like I really didn’t like it. I truly did. I just won’t ever give a movie as much credit as a book, no matter how well-scripted and acted it is. The movie reel in my mind that goes along with the book is always 10 times better.   

Anyway…it was good. I love Emma Stone (like in a serious girl crush kind of way) and I think I’ve seen just about every move she’s been in. I do need to see the other new one she is in with Steve Carrell and Ryan Gosling though – it’s on my list.

To summarize this travesty of a movie review, I will finish by saying it’s a good movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it, thought the acting was great and I recommend it.

So now it’s Thursday evening and it’s time for what I hope will be a delightful run in exceptionally tolerable weather, a delicious dinner (there may be corn-on-the-cob on the menu), perhaps reading a bit of The Hunger Games (just started it, sooooo good), and then if I’m being completely honest…probably some Jersey Shore. 🙂 Have a great night all!

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Posted in Books, Reviews, Running, Uncategorized

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Running Around and Reading

Posted on July 28, 2011 | 2 comments

I’m here, really, I am. But I’ve just been really busy. So my initial dive back into the blog world is realistically going to be more of a slow creep into the water. You know, like when it’s really cold and you put your toe in, then your leg and as you get up to your torso you kind of squirm a little? My entrance will be gradual, with hopefully less squirming.

I was so excited to be tagged by Katie in the 7 Links thing that I’ve seen going around the blog world lately. But I have not had time to analyze my past blog posts enough to actually formulate a worthwhile response. It’s coming though – probably this weekend. 🙂

This week has flown right by. Monday is an absolute blur, it feels like ages ago and I can’t even recall what happened. I think it rained and I think I worked a little late. Oh and watched Trueblood with Hubby when I got home (any other Trueblood fans out there?!!)  Tuesday I went to the Yankee game with Hubby and had a great time. CC was having a fabulous night and we were all hoping for a no-hitter, but when that didn’t happen, we were just as happy with a win. Then Wednesday I was running like a mad woman at work and then forced myself to keeping running after work, even though I got out late. I logged a quick 3.5 miles  and hope to squeeze in 4-5 miles tonight. And we watched “Due Date” last night. So here’s my quick review:

Due Date

I went into watching this movie with low expectations and finished it pleasantly surprised. I have decided that I love, absolutely love, Robert Downey Jr. He is getting a little older and gray around the edges, but he is really talented and hysterical. He made the movie, even more than Zack Galifi…whatever his last name is.  The random cameo from Jamie Foxx was unexpected, but I like him, so it was appreciated.

Some of the scenes were a little drawn out of far-fetched, but a lot were pretty darn funny. I’d actually go ahead and recommend this movie to people. It’s no Hangover, but it’s entertaining for the short hour and a half you give it. Why not?

Recent Reading List
So that’s all from me for right now. I owe quite a few book reviews. I have to look at my list, but a few offhand are: “The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay,” “The Postmistress,” “It Happened in Italy,” “Just Kids,” “Heaven is For Real”…and I know there are a few more, but I have to confirm. If I could recommend only ONE of those, I’d go with “Heaven is For Real.” And I don’t spout religion or push spirituality on anyone, but this book is really good. Very touching and inspirational.

So that’s all for today folks. Tell me, have you read any REALLY good books lately?!! Please share!!!

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Posted in Books, Reviews, Running, Uncategorized

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Fabulous 14 Miles and Marathon Training Week 7 Recap

Posted on January 29, 2011 | 12 comments

Good evening all. Well wow – how is it already evening? It could perhaps have snuck up on me when I was lazy and lounging for much of the day after my run. However, it was a pretty awesome run, so I felt like I partially deserved the down time.

This morning was a nice 14-miler. I was nervous all week as the snowfall mounted and the storms just kept coming. Was I going to have to run my long run on the dreaded treadmill? No my friends, I did not. I was up at 8 a.m. and had a nice bowl of oatmeal before braving the slush. I worked my way to Central Park, only stomping in one large puddle along the way, and began my long run for the day.

I’m not sure about other runners, but I try not to have any expectations for my long runs. I don’t expect it to be a great run, a fast run or even an enjoyable one. I just get started and see where things go. And not every run is a great run – I’ve had my fair share of pretty bad ones. But today was a great one.

Two loops of Central Park for once did not feel like torture, this 14-mile run did not seem like it took forever, I only burped a few times, and my snots were quite manageable. Today was a good run. Here are my stats:

Mile 1 – 9:27
Mile 2 – 8:38
Mile 3 – 8:35
Mile 4 – 8:56
Mile 5 – 8:22
Mile 6 – 8:31
Mile 7 – 8:40
Mile 8 – 8:22
Mile 9 – 8:31
Mile 10 – 8:43
Mile 11 – 8:18
Mile 12 – 8:21
Mile 13 – 8:52
Mile 14 – 9:02
.21 – 1:52

Total mileage – 14.21 in 2:03: 18. Average pace – 8:35 minute miles

In all honestly, this run was the training highlight of my week. It’s easy to explain why – my other runs were all done inside on the treadmill this week because of the ridiculous snow. Here’s how it was broken down:

The blue row below is intended and the white row is actual mileage. YAY, I hit my intended weekly mileage (35 miles)!

Week 7 of Boston Marathon training was definitely a struggle. Running those 7 miles on the treadmill was pretty annoying. Here’s to hoping Week 8 is spent with me running more miles outside.

In other weekend news, Hubby and I have been pretty low-key. We watched The Town last night, which was okay. Not fabulous, but better than I expected. I’ve also decided that I think my hubby kind of looks like Ben Affleck when Ben’s hair is cut that short. Hubby categorically denies this, but I think he’s just being modest. 🙂

Now I might as well share my mini reviews of Black Swan and Easy A.

Black Swan: Loved it. Was terrified and loved every minute of it. This psychological thriller had me jumping, covering my eyes and trying to figure out what was real the entire time. But I loved it. And I totally have a girl-crush on Natalie Portman, I think she is amazing. I am trying to convince Hubby that he should see this movie before the Academy Awards and have offered to go with him.

 

 

Easy A: This one totally surprised me and I really liked it. Emma Stone is definitely choosing some pretty fun roles. Between this and Zombieland, she might be my new favorite young actress. She is sarcastic, witty, gorgeous and down-to-earth. I see her going far. As far as the story goes, it had some kind of ridiculous parts, but I still thought it was pretty funny.  I hope to see Emma Stone in more movies soon!

 

So that’s Saturday all. The rest of the evening will probably be low-key and involve some wine. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Have you seen any great movies lately? And you are on Oscar-addict like I am?

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Posted in Marathon, Reviews, Running, Uncategorized

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Well Hello There 2011

Posted on January 1, 2011 | 4 comments

I honestly can’t believe it’s 2011 already. The 2010 year literally flew by. I’ve decided to really think hard about my 2011 resolutions before I put them down in print. So those resolutions will be coming a little bit late.

My New Years Eve wasn’t as exciting as expected. Hubby and I were toying with the idea of going to Times Square since it was a balmy 45 degrees outside. However, the cold and congestion that Hubby had been dealing with for the past few days finally made its way to me and the thought of standing outside for hours with a million people – being trapped inside barriers became more terrifying than appealing. So we ended up lying low and I coughed my way into 2011. Thanks for going with the flow Hubby and welcoming 2011 in a low-key way with your sick wife.

I’ve been promising a book review, so here it is. My book review of Ultramarathon Man – Confessions of An All-Night Runner.

Ultramarathon Man
Confessions of An All-Night Runner

By: Dean Karnazes

At a work happy hour earlier in December, a few of us were talking running and running books, and several people told me to read this book. They were pretty persistent, so I decided to check it out.

I was not disappointed. This book was both interesting and inspiring. It’s a non-fiction book by and about Dean Karnazes. Dean was a runner in high school, but then abruptly stopped running altogether for years. On his 30th birthday, he takes a hard look at his life and tries to figure out what is missing. After a night of drinking and celebration, he puts on a pair of old sneakers and heads out for a run…a really long run.

And from there he just does not stop. The man runs and runs and runs. He starts by running about 5 miles a day and then hears about a 100 mile race. He sets his sights on that goal and trains like a maniac.

The reader tags along on his journey for adventure and excitement. As a runner, you’ll want to be running alongside Dean. His stories will fill you with awe and inspiration. After reading about Dean’s 50-100 mile jaunts, I felt like a pretty big wimp complaining about having to run 30-40 miles a week for marathon training.

Dean is not a complainer – he is a doer. He sets his goal and he doesn’t let anything stand in his way.  And just when the reader thinks that he has tackled his biggest challenge, Dean will find a more intense and insane challenge. It’s what he lives for.

I’m pretty sure I read this book in 2-3 days. I just couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what he would conquer next and I wanted to absorb some of his strength through the pages. I then passed the book along to my running friend and she flew through it in 2 days as well. It’s good and it just may renew some of your vigor and drive to run and train harder than you ever have before. Because if Dean can run 100 miles, surely I can run a measly 26, right?

—–

Hope you all had a great NYE and start to 2011! What are some of your New Year goals?

The number 11 is my lucky number, so I’m hoping this year is a lucky one for us. 🙂 Last year wasn’t awful, but we did have some major ups and downs – so I’d really love to have a great 2011. How was your 2010?

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Casellula Review and Race to Deliver Recap

Posted on November 21, 2010 | 12 comments

Good evening blog world. How was your weekend? Mine was very good and busy. Saturday started off with some much-needed cleaning. But not before I had a decent breakfast. Banana oatmeal with peanut butter and flaxseed meal.

Later in the afternoon I had a light lunch after my cleaning and before heading out for dinner.

I decided not to run on Saturday in order to give myself some extra rest before Sunday’s race.

Around 4:30 I headed to my friends’ apartment in Hell’s Kitchen to meet their two new little kittens. Sorry no pics, but they were absolutely adorable. Then we headed out to dinner in their neighborhood. It took some searching before settling on Casellula, a wine and cheese bar a bit off the beaten tourist path. Hell’s Kitchen definitely has a TON of restaurant choices, but I get a bit frustrated with the really touristy places. This place was located between 9th and 10th Ave. on 52nd  Street. It has a really big wine and cheese list. Two things I love.

We started off sharing the Endive Salad, which had crumbled blue cheese and pear.

It was a very unique taste and I enjoyed it.

Next we moved on to the Chistorras in a Blanket…

These little guys were a wee bit spicy, but delicious nonetheless. After finishing these off, we shared a cheese plate.

We ordered Willow Hill Farm La Fleurie and two other kinds that aren’t shown on their online menu, but were delicious.

And then lastly, we saw another table order something that looked divine. We decided we needed to try it.

My apologies, it is an awful photo of the Ricotta Crostini with Orange Blossom, Honey, Hazelnuts and Lemon. This was so good. I’m very happy we ordered it. It was my favorite by far. Next time around, I would love to try the Mac N’Cheese! All in all, this meal was very good. With three of us sharing three different dishes and a cheese plate with one glass of wine each, it came to about $30 per person – not too bad for tapas actually. However, we did notice that they gave us only 3 portions on each plate, while others seem to get 4-5 portions even though there were only two people. We thought this was a bit unfair to charge us the same price when we were getting less food. What is the standard with Tapas?

Race to Deliver (4 miles) Recap
I headed home early last night because I had to be up pretty early for the 4 mile race in Central Park on Sunday – the Race to Deliver.  I went to bed around 11:00 p.m. and had a tough time falling asleep. Then things got much worse when a bunch of either college kids or young 20-somethings were outside drinking in the backyard area behind our building until 4:30 in the morning! And they were not quiet. There were girls screeching and cackling all night long. I think I was able to sleep through most of it until about 4 a.m. when they got REALLY loud. Finally at 4:30 a.m. I think my first-floor neighbor had had enough. I heard someone come out and scream angrily at these kids. At first one guy tried to yell back and, I don’t know, I guess assert their right to be obnoxiously loud. However, once I heard the mention of police in the conversation, things got significantly quieter very quickly. I was able to go back to bed until about 6:45.

Then I got up and had some oatmeal for breakfast as some pre-race fuel. I jogged over to Central Park a little before 8:00 a.m. and found my corral. This was my very first 4-mile race. For some reason, I thought I’d run one before, but I think it was actually the race I skipped out on in the summer. I was excited to give this new race length a try.

The race began and very quickly we were headed up Cat Hill. Not fun. However, I told myself to stay strong because it was really going to be the only big hill during the whole race. I made my way up the hill a little slower than I wanted, but was happy to have it behind me. It was around 40 degrees outside, which made for a chilly pre-race, but was perfect for racing.

Mile 2 went by in a blur. I felt like I was moving really fast. I decided not check my Garmin until around mile 3 – I just wanted to push hard and see where that took me, regardless of what Garmin said.

I felt really great throughout this whole race. When I finally looked at my Garmin at the 3 mile marker, I was pleased to see it showed around a 7:42 minute mile. I started to push a bit harder as I neared the end.

My official finish time was 30:48. Average pace was 7:42 minute mile. Here are my splits per my Garmin:

Mile 1 – 7:59
Mile 2 – 7:26
Mile 3 – 7:42
Mile 4 – 7:22
.05 – :17

Total mileage – 4.05 miles in 30:48

It was a really great race and I was happy with my time. I’ve got another 4-miler in December that I’m even more excited about now.

After the race, I showered quickly and then headed out for a blogger brunch. More on that in the next post!!

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Posted in NYRR, Races, Restaurants, Reviews, Running, Uncategorized

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The Trifecta: Restaurant, Book & Movie Reviews

Posted on November 17, 2010 | 6 comments

Good afternoon all! I know I promised you a book and restaurant review today and I wanted to get them up earlier, but then I decided to just lump them together with a movie review and make a GIANT post. My apologies in advance for the length. So let’s begin.

Restaurant Review

Nobu
I was admittedly very excited when I learned that Hubby’s co-workers were planning a dinner at Nobu that would include significant others. Score! Besides being excited to see some of his co-workers and their signficant others I’d met before, as well as meeting some new team members, more importantly, I was thrilled to hear we would be gathering at Nobu!!

And so it was that I left work last Thursday and headed to Nobu on 57th. The restaurant is actually a bit hidden and set inside a little covered area.

Once our party arrived, we were escorted upstairs and Bill’s boss promptly spotted Ace from American Idol. For those who know me, I’m awful at spotting celebs, so I truly appreciate when people spot them and point them out to me. Apparently, I am oblivious.

Once we got down to business with the Nobu menu, I turned from oblivious to clueless and overwhelmed. Thankfully, I was with some people in the Nobu-know who guided our table to make the right selections. The downside of that – I’m at a loss to tell you what some of these pictures are. I will do my best…

Pretty sure this was the sashimi salad.


Some sort of mushroom salad that was soo tasty.


Rock Shrimp – Hubby’s favorite and might be mine as well. This was amazing. A must-order if you ever go.


Holy sushi and sashimi selection! All the ones I tried were amazing.

All of the food was soo delicious. I’m sorry I can’t go into more detail – I wish I had paid more attention during the ordering. There were also some other dishes that I didn’t post because  literally had no clue what they were. There wasn’t  a single thing that we ordered that I did not like. However, it was not a cheap meal by any means. That is my word of warning to everyone. Be prepared to spend some dough. And also be prepared to see some of the most pretentious and well-dressed people you’ve ever seen. There were some people there like our table – low-key, fun and laid back. But you could also spot a ton of uptight business folk or freshly bo-toxed glamazons . And I swear to you that just as we were about to leave the Jonas Brothers came in, but they were seated behind a wall and I knew it would be inappropriate to try to scale it. Not that I’m a fan of the JBs – just desperate to actually recognize some celebs from time to time.

Book Review

The Girl Who Played With Fire

By: Stieg Larsson
[photo source]

I’ll assume that if you want to read this book or already bought this book that you’ve read the first book: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. If not, I’d like to kindly ask you to stop right there and go back to the first book. You can not read the second book in this trilogy without reading the first.

That being said, this book does have a completely new story-line, but you need the history to gain the full understanding. It’s so difficult to explain Larsson’s plot line within these books. I’ll leave it at saying that  Lisbeth Salander is back and is working with journalist Mikael Blomkvist again on unraveling some criminal activities and mysteries. However, the relationship between Salander and Blomkvist has changed drastically since we last heard from them, so that adds a twist to the feel and direction of the plot.

General thoughts on this book – it made me immensely nervous right from the beginning. I was terrified for Lisbeth and worried about what would happen to her next. I felt this way a little bit in the first book, but this book intensified those feelings and did so right from the start.

As per Larsson’s first book, it’s a fast-paced, intriguing page turner. I cancelled plans and skipped the gym to go home and read this book. I did not want to put it down. However, toward the end there were a few details and situations here and there that I found to be a bit unbelievable or far-fetched. This disappointed me momentarily, but did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

The end of this book way okay, but nothing entirely amazing. Overall though, if you liked the first Larsson book, I can pretty much guarantee you will enjoy this one as well. But remember – it’s not for the faint of heart, there are some serious thrills and chills in these books.

Movie Review

Get Him to The Greek

We watched this movie last night and I have to be honest and say that it did not live up to my expectations. Perhaps it was because before we popped in the Netflix DVD, we had been watching “The Hangover” on HBO. It’s hard to think anything is as hysterical as that movie. So maybe not such a good pre-movie choice.

Regardless, this movie has its funny moments. Hubby doesn’t really like Russell Brand, but I found him to be amusing and a pretty decent actor. He’s got potential. His character reminded me of the washed up rock star from “Love Actually.” Now that was a great movie.

Anyway – this is a short movie and it’s probably better off that way. You’ll enjoy it if you go in with some realistic expectations and a willingness to forgive some predictability. I did really like that they tied it to “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” – now that was another great movie! Somehow, I doubt that I’ll ever say that about this movie though.

That’s all folks!!

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A Thurdsay Book and Movie Review

Posted on November 4, 2010 | 5 comments

Happy Thursday all on this rainy, cold day.  Oddly enough, I went to bed last night without setting an alarm (by accident) and managed to wake up at exactly my normal time today. So strange. Ever had that happen? Talk about internal alarm.

So I FINALLY saw The Social Network on Tuesday night. I also have to share that my friend and I picked up dinner from the Whole Foods salad bar and ate it in the theater – a first for me. On two fronts: 1) first Whole Foods salad bar experience; and 2) first time eating dinner in a movie theater.

On the first front – LOVED the food from Whole Foods! I don’t know why it took me so long to try it. I think because I knew how much I was going to like it and want to go back.

On the second front – eating my dinner in a theater was a lil weird. I managed to finish my food before the movie started. I did not want to be crunching away while the movie was playing. It was interesting.

Now as far as the movie goes: I wasn’t obsessed. I thought it was interesting and it was definitely a different style than I thought it would be, but it didn’t wow me. I think I built it up too much in my head after hearing so many reviews about it. And essentially being one of the last people to see it. Don’t get me wrong – I thought it was interesting and I was sufficiently hooked in many scenes, but I didn’t think it was exceptional.  I’m glad I saw it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to convince someone else that they had to see it.

And now lastly, here is a nice little book review for you!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

By: Jamie Ford

The last time I was visiting my parents I finished the book I was reading. My mom had just finished this book, so I grabbed it for my train ride back to the city. This book is definitely a quick read and very enjoyable. I don’t think the author’s writing is particularly unique or memorable—it is more the topic that will draw your attention.

Basic premise of the story is about a 12-year-old Chinese boy named Henry Lee. He lives in Seattle during World War II and goes to a “white” preparatory school. His parents want him to become more Americanized. He meets a Japanese girl at this school called Keiko. Although they live in the U.S., Henry’s father has strong ties to China and follows the fighting going on between the Chinese and Japanese. He hates the Japanese and will not allow his son to associate with anyone of Japanese descent. Of course, as you can guess, Keiko and Henry become good friends and then develop stronger feelings for each other.

That is the basic overview, but more than the relationship between Henry and Keiko, I was taken in by the descriptions of how Japanese families were treated during this time and then shipped off to internment camps. We’ve all learned about these camps in U.S. History classes, but this gave me a new, personal look into that time, and the anger and hatred that these families faced.

This is a book of fiction, but many of the places and some of the people mentioned in it are real. And the author did his research on the internment camps and relocation of Japanese families. I found the relationship between Keiko and Henry to become almost secondary to the real story of these families. And I wasn’t exactly sold on this teenage love being the right backdrop for this very important subject. I didn’t hate their little love, but I didn’t actually fully believe it either.

Essentially, I enjoyed the book for what I learned about that era and the look into the internment camps. I probably could have done with the pre-pubescent love story though. But who knows—maybe this isn’t a story that is geared toward me. Maybe this is a book that Ford intended for middle schoolers to read. Perhaps the author is simply a device to help engage younger readers in an historical story.

Regardless, it is a quick read and offers a unique insight into that time, place and issue in U.S. history. I say it’s definitely worth a read.

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“Good Health Cafe” Review

Posted on November 3, 2010 | 7 comments

As promised, I have a restaurant review for you today. Yesterday I mentioned a great little hole in the wall place on the UES – I’m talking about  “Good Health Cafe.” Located on First Avenue between 74th and 75th, you would surely miss this place if you weren’t specifically looking for it. Once you enter the unassuming building, you find yourself in a small dining area with about 6-8 tables. Don’t let this deter you.

Sit yourself down and then try to decide what to order off of the fairly expansive and interesting menu. There’s some asian fusion in there, a little mexican, some hearty appetizers, wraps, burgers, fish, delicious sounding salads, and finally a smashing brunch menu.

When I visited this locale, I was firmly set in brunch mode. Thankfully, they serve brunch until 4:30 p.m. Sold! But then the problem became what to order? Look at this brunch list: banana pecan whole grain pancakes with blueberry; whole wheat pancakes; multigrain pumpkin spiced waffles  or pancakes; wholesome belgian waffles topped with banana blueberry sauce;  wheat-free very berry pancakes; organic buttermilk pancakes; corn & wild rice whole grain pancakes; baby blueberry pancakes; very berry multigrain pancakes; cinnamon vanilla french toast.

And my brunch choice isn’t even on there! I ordered whole wheat pancakes with warm apples and cinnamon. It came with veggies patties, homefries and eggs on the side. It was amazing.

Soo yumm! This totally filled me up. Next time though, I may have to give the french toast a whirl. 🙂 Also – they have a big omelet section on their menu as well. There really is something for everyone.

My friend’s boyfriend wasn’t in the mood for brunch, so he got a salad that he absolutely loved. I think it was the Green Tea Soba Noodle Salad: chilled japanese noodle with julienne tofu and vegetables in peanut sauce, served over greens.

I’ve decided this place would be the perfect post run  brunch spot – do I hear a blogger run and brunch calling? 🙂  Who is in? I’d surely have to try to make some sort of reservation to fit more than 4 people in this joint, so let me know. I’m thinking the weekend of November 20th – who’s around?

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Thursday Reviews: Firenze and Sedaris

Posted on October 21, 2010 | 11 comments

Happy Thursday all! Having two days of training this week meant that the week has flown by, but I also have a ton of work piling up! Today should be a productive day. So today I have two reviews coming your way; a book review and a restaurant review.

Firenze
Hubby and I postponed our anniversary dinner until last night. We had to wait until the Yankee game was over to head to dinner, but once it wrapped up, we walked over to Firenze on 2nd Avenue between 82nd and 83rd.

It is a tiny place. I’ve walked by it a bunch of times in the past, but never really looked in. It’s small and if you’ve got a noisy group of drunken middle-aged parents behind you (which we did), it can get pretty loud.

The waiter seated us and promptly brought over some bread with what I think was marinara sauce on top, along with some olives, regular bread and cheese. (I apologize for no photos – Hubby doesn’t like it. And in this place, people would have gawked.) So then the waiter asked if we wanted to see a wine list. I said sure and was handed a 20-page book. I became overwhelmed and handed it to Hubby. And then finally we each had a single glass of wine.  (I had Chianti and Hubby had Cabernet.)

I started off with the insalata mista, which was good, but a little heavy on the dressing.  For my main dish, I had the Tagliolini Gamberi & Radicchio, which was fresh pasta with shrimp and radicchio in a light cream sauce. It was good, but I’m not sure if I liked the radicchio all that much. Hubby tried a bite and said the same thing. It would have been better with something else, maybe broccoli?

After dinner, they offered us a complimentary after-dinner drink, which was very nice. I declined, but Hubby had the amaretto and then we were talked into ordering the Tiramisu, which was delicious.

All in all, I enjoyed the meal and would come back. There were definitely other things on the menu that both Hubby and I wanted to try.

And now, how about a book review… 

When You Are Engulfed in Flames

By: David Sedaris

This was not my first go-round with David Sedaris. I read his “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” a few years ago and thought it was hysterical. Therefore, when my mom passed along this book, I took it more than willingly and moved it high up on my reading list. Although the front cover threw me a bit, I quickly reminded myself that it was simply Sedaris’s quirky style.

This book is a set of short stories that are taken from many different points of Sedaris’s life – both younger and older. I really can’t go much into plot, since each chapter is a brand new story with a new theme or focus. The common thread between them all is that they are laugh-out-loud funny. No seriously, the people next to me on the train (I was reading it during 3 train rides) must have thought I was a nut to be laughing so much at a book. Instead of thinking I was crazy, I told myself they were simply looking at my book jacket so they could jot down the title and buy the hysterical book for themselves.

Sedaris’s style and voice is so unique, quick and witty, that you can’t help but feel like you are good friends with him and he is confiding in you about these ridiculous stories. I also decided that I must meet him and am hoping he’ll release a new book and have a book signing in NYC soon. I want him to be my friend.

Simply put – read this book. And if you’re like me, you’ll probably end up wanting to buy or borrow all of his other books too. My only word of warning: this book is not for the modest or timid person. Sedaris lays it all out there, so expect the unexpected. And laugh it up!



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Half Marathon, Marathon & Anniversary

Posted on October 18, 2010 | 12 comments

Happy Monday. How were your weekends? Mine went by in a blur. I sort of feel like I didn’t even have a weekend.

So in immediate exciting news… I just registered for the 2011 Boston Marathon!!! Yippeee! I’m so0 excited and nervous at the same time. There were some issues with the registration page, but thankfully someone on twitter passed around a link that worked. Any other bloggers out there running Boston next April?!

Now on to some race recaps. Yesterday was the Sun Half Marathon and Bay State Marathon in Lowell, MA. I ran the half and my friend, Lauren ran the full in hopes of qualifying for Boston. I’ll start with my race first:

Sun Half Marathon
We drove the full marathon course the day before and I got a chance to see most of the half course as well. It looked pretty flat and not too intimidating. Lauren and I woke up on Sunday morning at 5 a.m. and began our prepping – eating our bananas and Larabars, drinking water and Gatorade. And rotating bathroom turns (sorry, but I’m being honest).

We picked up our other friend running the marathon, Gabby, and headed to the Tsongas Arena around 6:30 and had no problem parking. We waited inside the arena for as long as possible and then went to the start. I thought the half and full marathoners would start together, but they separated us out a bit. I was slightly behind and to the right of the marathon group. So I said goodbye and good luck to Lauren and Gabby and went to my half corral.

The race started and somehow the half marathoners got out ahead of the full marathoners. Lauren and Gabby waved to me as I passed. I started trotting forward at a slow, but comfortable 8:37 minute pace. The start of the race was extremely congested. Then about 2 minutes later I heard my name and turned to see Lauren flying towards me. I picked up the pace a bit to stick with her and we ran together for probably half a mile.

After a few minutes, I realized that Lauren was just moving way too fast for me. I had trained a little bit for this race, but I was nowhere near her speed, so I waved her on and wished her good luck. And I prayed that she would slow down a bit and save some of that energy.

All alone now, I kept chugging along. I was moving pretty fast and I had a feeling that my speed would not last. I also knew that I had two loops of the same course to look forward to… or rather not look forward to. I do not like repeating parts of a course. I like it when I don’t really know what’s coming next and we start at point A and end at point B with no repeating.

My first loop was pretty speedy. Here are my stats:

Mile 1 – 8:25
Mile 2 – 7:53
Mile 3 – 8:09
Mile 4 – 8:12
Mile 5 – 8:08
Mile 6 – 8:04

However, as we entered the loop again, I think I was feeling kind of down about the fact that I’d have to do it all over again. And my lack of training really started to show. I ran the second loop MUCH slower:

Mile 7 – 8:29
Mile 8 – 8:36
Mile 9 – 8:43
Mile 10 – 8:44
Mile 11 – 8:42
Mile 12 – 8:44
Mile 13 – 8:47
.13 – :56

Total mileage – 13.13 in 1:50:39. Average pace – 8:25 minute miles.

So yeah – as you can see, the second half was a rough one for me. But I was happy with my pace and time overall considering my lack of training. It’s actually my slowest half marathon time yet, but I’m not beating myself up about it.

After my race ended, I grabbed a few snacks and headed back to the car to change, clean myself up and put on some warmer clothes. Then I headed back to the finish area to wait for Lauren. Briefly, here’s how her marathon went…

Bay State Marathon – Lauren’s Race
As I mentioned, it was a crowded start and I think that really frustrated Lauren. She was in BQ mode and was flying past people, trying to weave around the slower runners. We met up during the first mile and then she took off just as we passed the first mile marker.

She told me that she then proceeded to run sub-8 minute miles for about the first 8-10 miles of the race. That is SUPER FAST! One of her splits was around 7:30!! Eekk.

And so can you maybe guess what happened? She used up all her energy and by the time she hit Mile 22 things started to go downhill. She became nauseous and dizzy and then she actually got sick. She tried to drink water and Gatorade and refuel, but to no avail. Her split between 22-23 was in the 11+ minute range and those last few miles felt unbearable.

I was waiting in the finish area watching as 3:40 passed and then I was just hoping that she was okay. I was so relieved when she ran into the finish area. She saw me and started apologizing for not coming in under 3:40 and all I wanted to do was hug her. Instead, I screamed that she was awesome, it was totally okay and that she needed to run her heart out to the finish. And she did.

She finished in 3 hours and 45 minutes. A personal record and a pretty freaking fantastic time if you ask me!! I know she was disappointed at first, but then she realized that now she’ll be able to watch me run Boston instead and cheer me on with my husband! She was also pretty relieved that she didn’t have to start training for another marathon in December. 🙂 I luv ya Lauren – you did awesome yesterday!!

Lastly, I do want to mention that the post-race food for the half and full was AMAZING! Soup, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips and mini candy bars. It was the best I’ve had so far.

So that was our intense race weekend. We drove home from Lowell, MA and I arrived back at my parent’s house and ate a big bowl of homemade soup my mother had made.

Then Hubby arrived at my parent’s house and we packed up our things to head home. Before we left, we each had a piece of anniversary cake that my mom made for our two-year wedding anniversary!

Looks like a mini wedding cake, doesn’t it?! It was delicious. Thanks Momma!

Happy Anniversary Hubby – I love you and can’t wait for many, many more anniversaries to come!

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