Running Running!

So marathon training has started!

I feel tired just typing that. I've run about a dozen half marathons in my life and this year I'm going to run a full marathon, and then be happy I did it, but never do it again. I always said someday I'd run a marathon, and as I'm turning 30 next year I'm pretty determined to just get it done now.

To prepare I've got my easy schedule reference that is tucked into my wallet with my debit card so that every time I buy something I see it and am reminded to see what I'm supposed to be doing that day:

 

I've got a kick ass angry chick playlist to make me want to hit the pavement and kick it's ass!

And lastly I have a cause to run for! Women IN Kenya walk about 10 miles per day to collect water for her and her family. Think of that. The AHA recommends you walk 5 miles per day, and most Americans aren't reaching that goal. How would you do in a 10 mile walk while carrying gallons of water? Where would you even find the time? Help women in Kenya by donating to MamaMaji today and helping me reach my first goal of $2,500 by the time I run the Portland Marathon on October 9th. My ultimate goal is to raise $5,000, but all goals, like a marathon, are made up of smaller goals and steps.

DONATE!

A Braver Woman than I

Rachael Herron has been my friend for about 5 years now. We have never met in person, laughed over coffee, or gone to the movies. However, she is my friend, and when I noticed she was doing poorly I sent her knitting project bags, when she releases a new book I'm there buying 2 copies to help support her, and when she told me I should try dispatching, I went and it led to me the job I love, and my soulmate.

She is the bravest woman I know, not just because of her love for bright red cowboy boots, but because she has quit her longtime dispatching job and is now relying on her creative talents to make it.

Wearing said boots with a Colette dress she made

Dispatching is one of the most stressful jobs there is and recent studies are showing that dispatchers are developing PTSD. It's a hard job and I think Rachael has made the smart move for her health, physical and mental. I know when I went from dispatching to managing an alarm company my mental health improved over night. The long hours, the endless disgruntled people swearing at you (sorry dude, but it's not my fault your blocked driveway is only a level 1 priority), the rotating shifts (grave, swing, day), and low pay are enough to make anyone get a migraine.

She always looks so well put together

She'll no longer be required to work 56 hours a week, but as an artist and writer I have a feeling she'll be working even longer hours, because sometimes the muse thinks sleep is for the weak. She also lives in the Bay Area, which is stupid expensive (take it from someone that is currently looking for a room to rent). This risk is huge and she is brave.

I implore you to go buy one of her books, she writes about so many things I'm betting you can find at least one book that catches your interest, or would be a perfect gift for Easter or Mother's Day. Hell, it's never too early to start shopping for Christmas! I prefer reading her books at the cabin or river while sipping a whiskey sour. You should try both!

Good luck Rachael!

Psst! She's also on Patreon

Take a walk

It's been a bit of whirlwind of activity around here so I'm going to talk about something that gets brought up at least once a week around here. My commute.

I live in the Bay Area and I commute via train or bus to work. I haven't driven my car in months, and only borrow Ben's when we need something at his house. Now most people wonder why does one volunteer to live without a car for 5 days of the week, and I give them the perks of not having a car each time:

I get to walk everywhere. I'm not afraid of a half hour walk, it keeps me fit, and it honestly keeps me from eating poorly. Can't hit the drive through without a car, and nipping out for dinner is a pain in the ass if you have to walk there and back. There is also no way for me to skip the gym if I don't have to hit it during the week.

I live in the Bay Area, and our transit system is one of the best I have ever seen in my travels. During my commute I can take the train from Ben's house or the bus from my house and both come every 15 minutes. Both require a 20 minute walk to catch a ride, but both also drop me off 1 block from my office.

I save $120 per month on gas and toll. I was shocked when I did the math but I love saving money and getting to help out the environment. By carpooling for just 1 day per week you can save 25 pounds of carbon from being released into the air per year.

I get 2 hours to myself per day. Who else can say that they get 2 hours of uninterrupted time to relax? I love it! I'm not dealing with traffic, I'm able to sip my morning coffee or tea in peace, knit while listening to an audio book, play Pokemon, and I get to see the great scenery of the Bay Area go by.


I highly encourage everyone to try taking the bus, train, or carpooling one day per week

Random 10

So I have nothing planned for today and since I leave tomorrow for Chinese New Year and then a girl's trip to Yosemite this is going to be a quick and dirty 10 random things about me.

1. I just got back from the salon and my nails are whore red (though the label said Red Apple) for the Chinese New Year tomorrow, and I'm typing carefully as not to screw them up.

2. My best friend Anna is Chinese and we go to the festival in San Francisco every year. It is the largest celebration of the Chinese New Year outside of China.

3. I'm supposed to make and bring a casserole for our trip to Yosemite. I'm always known for bringing something tasty. Currently I have no idea what I'm going to make.

4. I'm only 5'1", and a little on the dumpy side, however I can squat 250 pounds and run half marathons regularly.

5. I had asthma as a kid and told I would never be able to run. I also have been hit by a car and had a skiing accident that caused permanent damage to my knees when I was a teen.

6. I was born the year of the Rabbit and collect bunny stuff like jewelry, paintings, shirts, pillows, ect. Currently I'm looking to make Louise's hat from Bob's Burgers.

7. I didn't know how to knit well (could only knit and knew 1 cast on) till I was 22. I'm now 28.

8. I hate mint and avocados. I think this year I might be able to get over avocados, but I shall always hate mint.

9. I used to work at Kepler's Books as a Children's Specialist and Author Host. I have met many authors and have tons of signed and personalized books by them. My favorites are my matching hardbound Game of Thrones set, my collection of Francis May's books, and Ben's and my Patrick Rothfuss collection that we got signed on our 1 year anniversary.

10. I can usually tell where you know me from by what name you call me.

Dear Smokey Orchid,

You and I were meant to be, that I'm sure of. I bought you while visiting relatives in Petaluma, and you were the only yarn I wanted at Knitterly. You were a little expensive, but I knew in my heart that your purples and browns where just what I wanted to warm my frozen little toes.

Recently you saw a harsh purge of the yarn stash. Three actually. I know you were worried when you saw the sweater yarn that matched you get tossed into the bag, but that was only because it was scratchy and the sweater knit from it was too small (though I got gauge and went up a size, it would have fit my 8 year old niece). You have been always saved due to your lovely colors, softness, and I knew you'd be perfect for socks.

You knew your number was called when I was halfway through my 2nd Santa Cruz socks, and though I can't find my ball winder, I hand balled you in the car, on the train, and cast you on as soon as my needles were free. That is where the trouble started.

My Cup of Tea has lovely lacework down the front, and working on US1, with my normal number of casted on stitches, you pooled only on the lace panel. Now I knew this was a risk, but I kept knitting you for FOUR WHOLE INCHES. I knew that I wasn't giving up on you and ripped out all the work (sorry for swearing, it was due to anger at the printer that had decided to become a paper holder). I read up a little on how to prevent pooling, I grabbed US0 needles, though they're sharp and kind of hard on the hands when knitting sock yarn, but You Still Pooled.

You've got one more chance to straighten up tonight when I not only change the gauge, but also the number I cast on. Otherwise there is still plenty of room for you in the purge bag.

-KC

Marching Along

I, like most Americans, have some weight to lose, and to help motivate me I bought myself a Fitbit. I love this thing, and it's connected to my friends, who are constant reminders that we are cheering each other along.

Features I love are the challenges, that it keeps track of Lifetime steps, and the badges! I am obsessed with badges and Lifetime personal goals, and this weekend I hit 2 of them! I have taken more then 1,000,000 steps since getting my Fitbit in November, and I have climbed more then 1,000 flights of stairs. These badges and personal goals remind me to eat better all the time, and one of my worst eating habits is not packing a lunch. This week I'm making it a goal to eat lunch in every day, with the goal to make March be an entire month of eating in for lunch.

To start this week I made myself a simple cucumber noodle salad with mozzarella chunks, chopped tomato, and a 50/50 balsamic and olive oil dressing that is seasoned with the lovely 21 Seasoning Solute. It turns out that cucumbers loose a lot of water after you chopped them up and it was kind of soupy. Next time I'll know to pat them dry after cutting.

Today I'm back to Thug Kitchen for Grilled Veggies Couscous Salad that I've only changed slightly (it's like a disease). I swapped out the couscous for quinoa since it doesn't go bad as fast. Couscous is actually a tiny type of pasta and only lasts about 2 days after being cooked. Quinoa lasts about 6-7 days which means that it's perfect for making a hug batch and then dishing it out a little bit at a time for lunches through the week. It's stupid simple to cook, and I grilled veggies for dinner and just added the few extra things I needed to the grill for lunch. It took 10 minutes to create!

BTW if you want to add me on Fitbit click here
Also, here is the noodle cutter I love and adore, but remember to try to pick it up locally!

Art, Drinks, and Chocolate

This weekend was packed full and I didn't even get today off from work! None the less I truly feel like I had a 3 day weekend.

Maybe it's May Day fever but mid February is a very popular time to have a birthday in Ben's and my families. I have a grandmother, an aunt, Ben's cousin, and a friend all with birthdays this weekend.

We went to visit my wonderful grandma Sue, who is an artist in Petaluma, and we walked, ate good food, and raided the local establishments for local brews.

Sue Heinz Landscape made with just ink and coffee

This almond tree near grandma Sue's home has
 informed us winter is over and spring is here.
I have mixed feelings/drinks about this. 

After driving all the way back home we took right off for a double date to and ended up seeing Hail, Caesar!, which I'll let you go see and make up your own mind on how it was because our party was of mixed reviews.

Valentine's Day was kicked off with eating See's for breakfast before heading out to a birthday party for the lovely Alex (who is the sister of Ben's cousin Nick, whom I hold dear to my heart), and then to Deadpool.

I cannot rave enough about that movie. I loved everything about it (well maybe not the part when the guy gets his head taken off by a motorcycle chain. I could have done without that). I want to see it another ten times, but alas we were having over friends for dinner, and we told them they had to see it before coming over because we needed to talk to them about it (we're all pretty geeky).

 Dinner consisted of a fine selection of beer, blackberry bourbon fizz, and in the spirit of Lady and the Tramp spaghetti and meatballs. Now it was not  just any standard spaghetti and meatballs, but I also made bean balls and zoodles (I swear my vegetable pasta cutter is a gift from my heathen gods).

I have a thing for Thug Kitchen and they turned me on to Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute, which is my go to seasoning for just about everything for just $1.99 per jar! What says better tasting then quality ingredients at a bargain? Thug Kitchen makes these amusing pictures and they're motto is "Eat like you give a Fuck", which is something we should all remember.

Lastly, should you be in the Petaluma area, and have a love for food, jot over to Thistle Meats and get a gift card for yourself and promise to get over to support them in a couple weeks. A drunk driver hit their storefront, and such an disaster can have huge consequence for a small business.

What hat?

The hat is having issues and therefore is not complete. Actually the hat is in a little time out as I had plan on only using one ball of my Pioneer yarn that costs $26.00 for 50grams. It's pricey because it's grown by sheep here in California, milled in the US, and then dyed in small batches at the wonderful A Verb for Keeping Warm. I've knit an entire short sleeved fair isle sweater from it and adore this yarn for all it stands for (though I would love for it to be 3 ply instead of 2), and am using the leftover yarn to knit a matching hat. It has plowed through the first ball and while in the second ball my increasing and decreasing math left something to be desired.

I have been knitting these instead:

Currently on the heel flap of the
second sock

This is my take on the Dublin Bay Socks knit with Malabrigo, bought at Knitterly, in a colorway I cannot name because I lost the label a while ago when it was destined to become another pair of socks that went the way of frogging. I grabbed this yarn because it reminds me of rain and since it has been raining recently I thought is was appropriate. I'm a simple kind of gal.

This year I have a goal to knit myself 7 pairs of socks so that when Ben and I go to the cabin on the lake I will not freeze like I normally do. Wool socks are a must there as there are no carpets, and it's not heated unless someone is there, which is never during the winter. We love going in the winter as not many people are in town. We spent our anniversary there and went to the country club nearby for a great dinner. It really is the best way to vacation. I'd honestly live there year round if possible.