Earth Works of the American Southwest

I just returned from a 17 day art history road trip. The focus of the trip was earth works and land art but we also sopped at a few museums along the way. I would love to show and explain everything I saw however, as I found out, most of these works need to be experienced. If I were to post what I saw you would be reading a micro history that would not help you to understand the work much more then you currently do.

Instead here is a list of the things we saw and some pictures. Better pictures can be found on Google.

"The Big X" by Robert Morris in Grand Rapids, MI
"Effigy Tumuli" by Michael Heizer in Moris, IL
"Spiral Jetty" by Robert Smithson in Golden Spike, Utah
"Sun Tunnels" by Nancy Holt in Lucin, Utah
"Double Negative" by Michael Heizer in Overton, NV
"Roden crater" by James Turrell in Flagstaff, AZ
"Lightning Field" by Walter De Maria in West, NM
"Amarillo Ramp" by Robert Smithson in Amarillo, TX
Judd museum and home in Marfa TX



A picture is worth a thousand words but some experiences make you rethink what everything is worth.

How to Get the Mail

 

In case yall forgot.

There's a funny story at the end, I promise

If you get discouraged about the length of this post, just scroll to the end cause there's a funny little story. But I know no one reading this would do something abomidable like skipping the entire middle of a post I worked so hard on.....is the guilt trip working? ;)

Sorry I've been MIA this week- I just started my nannying job which adds on more hours that I'm used to. Most nights I've been coming home and crashing, just hanging out with my fam!

So I told you in the last post that I was going to share with you what I did this weekend. I'll give you a clue... (picture from Internet, I didn't bring camera. Find it here)

And if anyone recognizes this picture, I will give you a million dollars. Ok maybe not but I'd be super impressed haha.

It's Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania! On Saturday, my mom and volunteered at the Laurel Highlands Ultra race! What is an ultra, you ask? Shorthand for an ultramarathon, which is any distance above and beyond a marathon. The most common are 50k (about 31 miles), 50 miles, and 100 miles. But there are ultras every distance in between too! The Laurel Highlands Ultra was either 50k or 70 miles, plus there were relay teams for the 70 miler as well. It had a good turnout- I think about 100 for the 90 miler and 50 for the 50k.
(another random picture I got off the internet of someone running Laurel. You can find it here cause I don't want to get sued for copyrighting...)

It was so inspiring to watch these people complete such an admirable feat. Running such distances take an immense amount of physical and mental strength. Not only does your body have to be propery trained, fueled, and injury free, but you also must have the mental capacity to push yourself and run hours on end without going crazy or giving up. Needless to say, it was an honor to help these amazing athletes. My mom (who has run a 50k before) and I manned an aid station at 26 miles. We had all kinds of snacks like cookies, pretzals, chips, potatoes and salt to dip, watermelon, bananas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, trail mix, M&Ms and gummi bears. I know it sounds crazy to eat some of those things while running, but keep in mind when you are burning that many calories you can only eat Gu for so long before you need REAL food. Granted, the snacky, mostly junk food we served isn't necessary "real food" but you need fuel fast which usually means simple carbs and sugars. And what better way to get quick carbs and a sugar rush then snacks like M&Ms and chips! We also had a TON of water and gatorade and soda, too. I guess the same idea of the sugar plus caffenine is why Pespsi and Mountain Dew were so popular at the aid station.

The best part about being there was meeting all these crazy runners and socializing with them for a bit. The 70 milers would usually stick around for a bit and shoot the breeze with us. When it comes to ultras (espeically the longer distances) you don't run the whole thing- in fact, much is spent walking. Espeically on the Laurel Highlands trails, where the first 20 miles are hills, hills, and more hills.

The worst part was the smells. Do I even need to explain? Humid weather + 26 miles of running = very sweaty bodies. I think my mom said it best when she remarked that it looked like the runners "turned on the faucets inside their bodies." Yum!

On interesting observation I wanted to make about the ultra runners was how much they didn't look like your stereotypical runner. You know how everyone thinks runners are super skinny? I'm beginning to think that's a myth. Sure, there aren't many obsese runners but from working in a running store and volunteering at races I can tell you runners come in all shapes and sizes. I mean, c'mon, these ultra runners need muscle and fuel to take on such a physical challenge- they can't survive off bird food! The point I am trying (emphasis on trying) to make is that skinny doesn't mean fit and fit doesn't mean skinny. So don't judge health and ability based on looks- not for yourself, and not for others! But you smart people already know that, don't ya?

While I'm on the subject of body image, one more thing I want to share with you today is an original, creative, and positive idea from Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point. She came up with this idea called "Operation Beautiful," where each woman (or man) is called to write a positive message on a post it (such as "you are beautiful" or "you look great today" or "you are awesome just how you are") and leave it anonymously in a bathroom, grocery store, or anywhere! But preferably a mirror, so the viewer can see her gorgeous face while she reads the nice note. Isn't that awesome?! So go on, make someone's day :) I hope it gets so big and widespread that I find a note someday when I'm in a bathroom or whatever. Hopefully it would be a bathroom, cause I'd probably pee my pants from excitement. TMI? Oops.
And while your at Caitlin's cite, check out her series on Fat Talk. And then put those tips into practice immediately! The only way to stop this low self confidence epidemic is to take actions ourselves and show the world(*cough*media*cough*) we refuse to give in to self hatred, impossible expectations, and the never ending quest to be "perfect."

Hmm that post wasn't supposed to be heavy. Maybe I should leave you with a funny story.

I was at the pool the other day, and I heard a mom close by me talking about a water aerobics instructor. Her comment went something like this "I really liked this other instructor, but she was kinda, you know, granola-y. Like she biked to work (said with shock) and had all these tatoos, she was probably from Boulder Colorado or something. I mean, she biked to and from work, she had a bag on her bike and everything."

Wow. It's impressive how many stereotypes she managed to fit into one description. I thought my fellow granola-y readers out there would enjoy that :)

City Of Champions

YAY PENS! Stanley cup Champs, baby! Add that to a Superbowl victory, and got a City of Champions :)

I've never been so proud to live here! The atmosphere in Pittsburgh is just charged with celebration and fun (and booze) right now. I feel asleep on Friday night to sounds of beeping cars, blow horns, yelling, and the occasional firework. And I don't even live downtown!

Following along the lines of city pride, I wanted to share some pictures with you all of the Three Rivers Arts Fest that I was talking about earlier this week. My mom and I went back again on Friday so I could really take my time and enjoy all the artwork at my own (slow) pace. I also like being about to talk to the artists about their work- I mean, they are stuck in a tiny booth for hours at an end, so I think they appreciate some conversation. Plus, you learn a lot about the process of making different types of art, like glass or ceramics.

So without further ado, here are some snapshots of the fair:This picture and the following picture are from Gateway Center Plaza downtown. There were 260 different artists set up in the plaza. They each had a white booth, and they are all lined up next to one another, so when it gets busy there isn't much walking room! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a picture of any individual booths because you (understandably) can't photograph an artist's work.
These next two pictures are from the other main area of the arts fest- Point State Park. This famous area in Pittsburgh is where the three rivers come together. There is a huge fountain, but it wasn't as high and mighty as usual so I didn't get a good picture of it.
Here is the side of the park facing the rivers (beyond the bridge).......and from the other side of the park, where you can see all the buildings. Recognize the pointy one? Some scenes of Inspector Gadget with Matthew Broderick were shot there!
To me, Point State Park will always be the finish line/area of the Pittsburgh marathon. When my mom ran it twice, we greeted here there at the end, and it was so inspiring to watch everyone run in around the park! This year at the return of the marathon, the finish line was shifted to the Convention Center. It was nice, but I hope they change it back to the Point by the time I'm ready to train and run the full marathon.

Do you love the city where you live? If you could move anywhere and experience a different city, where would it be?

I didn't always love Pittsburgh- when I was in high school, I could wait to get out! Which is probably why I hauled myself 7 hours away to Grand Rapids, MI. Don't get me wrong, GR is a fun city, but I missed Pittsburgh and am so glad that I'm back here. Then again, family has a lot to do with it, since I am so close with my family and most of them live here.

I've always wanted to go to Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Boulder. I'd love to see the mountains in the West, plus I've heard the weather is nicer (not either humid or freezing, and always with a gray sky- *cough* Pittsburgh).

In the next post, I'll tell you about what I did on Saturday. I don't have any pics, but it's interesting, especially for all you runners out there!

Before I bounce, check out River's Healthy Chef giveaway. I'd definitely make counter space in my bathroom sized-kitchen for this sweet appliance!

Enjoy what's left of the weekend :)

I'm a Celebrity!

Call the paparazzi, I'm officially famous. That's right, my writing was featured as a guest post for Rose at the On a Lobster Placemat blog! Holler!

Rose is a writer (among other things) and is currently in a MFA program for creative writing and publishing. Which is what I hope to do! So she was more than willing to use a poem I wrote for a guest post while she was on vacation.

In case you didn't catch it on her blog, here's the poem I wrote.

The Gardener

Of all the plants in the garden,

The mint is the gardener’s favorite.

Though there is the more versatile basil,

And the nutrient packed broccoli and spinach,

It is mint that always captures his attention.

He doesn’t mind when it grows out of control,

Selfishly crossing its boundaries

Throughout the entire garden.

The gardener has learned how to contain the herb,

So that it stays tame and calm

While continuing to flourish.

Certainly other herbs such as

Oregano, rosemary, and cilantro

Can be combined easily with other foods,

Yet the gardener knows what to pair mint with

To bring out the fresh and earthy flavor.

He even can be spotted eating the mint leaves plain,

Just gently ripping off a leaf,

Placing it in his mouth,

And savoring the distinct and pleasant taste.

And when the mint has leaves that wilt,

Or turn brown and brittle,

He still looks upon the plant with favor-

The beauty of his garden.

I'm curious to know what you all think about it. What do you think it means? What message does it convey to you?

Thanks for reading! :)

PB&B

I have a confession to make.

Today for lunch I ate a peanut butter and broccoli sandwich.

Okay, let's back up...it didn't start that way...I actually never intended to make such a weird sandwich...it was a twist of fate that led me to experiment and find peanut butter's best match since jelly....

It was a typical Wednesday, one of my days off from work. After running some errands with my mom, I came home hungry and ready for some lunch. Immediately I opened the fridge and found some of my favorite veggie (broccoli!) fresh from the farmers' market and begging to be eaten. I first started sauteing it with some onions, when i realized we were out of hummus so I needed sumthin sumthin to make this green goodness shine. Enter peanut sauce. I love peanut butter, so it's no surprise I love peanut sauce. I mixed some pb, ginger, garlic powder and Braggs then thinned it out with some water.

Now here comes the tragedy. I put it on the broccoli too early in the cooking process, so it just wasn't strong enough. I was craving that salty, crunchy, peanutty taste and the sauce left me unsatisfied. So what did I do? Slather two slices of bread with peanut butter and top it with some of the cooked broccoli. Oh yes I did.

And it was fabulous. Definitely up there on the list along with pb and banana. I bet Elvis' healthy cousin would lurve this sammich!

What is the weirdest sandwich/food you like to eat? I know Heather (Queen of Spinach Oats) probably has a lot of answers to that ;)

Well, it's... A leg, you know, like a statue.

Did anyone click on the link and watch the trailor of Office Space? It made me want to watch the movie again, so good! How about the link a couple posts back with the laughing baby? I don't link for nothing folks, I know what's good :)

So, another one of the getting-to-know you games that Heather from HangryPants proposed the other week was telling about three things in your house that represented you. Well, I don't have a house to myself since I'm currently living with my family until this August when I move into an apartment. But I do have my own room chock full of fun little tidbits that represent me and some of my favorite things. So, here goes:

1.) I hope at least one of you recognizes this jem as a LEG LAMP inspired by the one in A Christmas Story (which looked like this). The one from the movie didn't have the choke collar or velvet leopard print, but those are definite improvements to the orginigal leg lamp if you ask me. It was a gift from my sister Mae to my oldest sister Kali. It's a tradition in my house to watch A Christmas Story multiple times during the 24 hour TNT marathon from x-mas eve to x-mas day. If you haven't seen the movie, please do. No better time than June for a Christmas movie, right? Anyway, this sexy leg reminds me of how much my sisters and I laugh together and how much I love them. Who knew a ridiculous (not to mention kinda skanky) light up appendage could make me so sappy? Before I shed a tear let's look at this hooker leg up close:
SEXYTIME!

2.) Speaking of things that make me all mushy inside, here's a painting that my boyfriend Jordan made for me for our six month anniversary (monthiversary?). This picture is just a little closeup on two of the six roses that were in this painting. He actually bought gold leaf to paint with, as you can see in the picture.He is such a good artists and an even better boyfriend. I am way too blessed :)

3.) After tugging at your heart strings in the last photo, I'll show you something even more ridiculous than the leg lamp. My running shoes:
If you counted, you would find ten pairs of running shoes, plus a pair of really old ones lurking in the darkness. Five of those ten are brand new or have only been run in once just to test out. And two of them I am currently rotating between but they just keep trucking so I haven't tossed em yet! Oh, and I have another new pair of Pearl Izumi's on the way. Sick, right?! I actually won two (the Mizunos) by being a badass saleswoman, but the rest were just consequences of being employed at a specialty running store. So if you are looking for a part time job, hit up your local running store and you will not be sorry!
Oh, and I'm not trying to brag. I actually gave away a new pair of Pumas I got to my sister, and am going to give a pair of the new trail shoes to my mom. That is, if she behaves :)

Hope you enjoyed that little piece of ME. Any questions? Seriously, I'm full of quips, witty bantar, mediocre experiences (hehe) and random information, so ASK AWAY!
And while your at it, tell me your favorite part of your room.

Oh, and before I sign off, I want to give a shout out to my blogging buddy Katie. She wrote a really insightful post today that is applicable to anyone pursuing a healthy lifestyle. It's easy to get stressed and discourgaed wondering what the "perfect diet" would look like, and it helps to have a reminder that there is no such thing as perfect. Furthermore, sometimes we strive so much toward this elusive idea of perfect that we lose the joy that food, cooking, and sharing meals with one another should bring us!
Along those lines, check out another beautifully written and enlightening post by Gena from Choosing Raw. She implores readers to look past the fad diets and take their health into their own hands by learning, experimenting, and ultimately embracing a diet that works with their particular emotional, physical, and even practical needs.
Way to go, ladies!

Have a great Tuesday and thanks for reading! I'm so excited to be making so many blogging friends :)

P.S. The title is a quotation from A Christmas Story. Duh!

Birthday Celebration

Saturday was my beautiful little sister's 19th birthday!
Believe it or not, this was the first picture we took together- pretty amazing that it turned out cute!

Anyway, it was a busy weekend with all the birthday events. Saturday my sister, my parents and I went down to the Three Rivers Arts Festival in downtown Pittsburgh. It's an annual event where tons of artists from all over the country come and display their artwork in booths all over Gateway Plaza and Point Park. There are also artist demonstrations, live music, food (if you call funnel cake and hot dogs food...) and booths for kids. It was a lot of fun, but I will probably go back this Friday cause I could spend hours down there looking at art and chatting up the artists, but I don't think my sister feels the same way ;)

Hopefully I can take some pictures on Friday, too- not of the artwork (pretty sure that's illegal) but of the booths and the park and the Point.

Sunday we had a family brunch to celebrate. I took some pictures of the desserts, cause I know that's what piques everyone's attention anyway!

The star dessert was this unbelievably rich brownie/chocolate cake topped with- I kid you not- at least an inch of ganache. It was so rich we had to cut them in half cause I don't think anyone could handle that much intense chocolate, not even Katie ;)

Take a look at these puppies up close and personalOh and I forgot to mention, the bottom was this really dense chocolate cake (kind of more like a brownie) that had chocolate chips in it. Seriously, you couldn't possibly get more chocolate. The cool thing was though, that the cake/brownie hybrid was actually really healthy. NO oil, whole wheat pastry flour, and very little sugar. Which was awesome, cause then it didn't give you the sugar shook that other sweets tend to invoke. The ganache was just vegan chocolate chips, a little soy milk and a little agave. And on top, she drizzled a peanut butter type icing really lightly.

Our other dessert was peanut butter oat bars, a recipe found here. I had made them once before for a co-workers birthday and got rave reviews! Easy recipe too, and doesn't use many ingredients.

What's your favorite dessert? I'd have to say vegan ice cream (coconut ice cream is my latest obsession) with fun toppings like peanut butter, newman-O's, etc. Does that make me sound like a 6 year old? Oh, well.

So, all and all (that's my substitute for the banal "overall." haha that rhymes), it was a SWEET weekend!
Now heads up everyone, I don't want to see anyone with a Case of the Monday's :)

Running, Revolutionized!

Since I work in a running store, I have tested and/or bought many different running products out on the market.

I've been lucky enough to test new shoes, wicking socks, some really sweet tights, gels and gummies- all in the name of customer satisfaction! But the one product I constantly lusted after but could never get my hands on was a Garmin. And rightfully so, considering the Garmin 405 are around $300, not something you give away to an employee just to get feedback.

What excited me about the Garmin watches was that you are able to track distance; therefore, you can keep taps on your pace. This would be revolutionary for me (ok maybe not on par with, say, the revolutionary war, but my life is a hell of a lot less interesting that paul revere) cause I've always just ran by minutes rather than distance. I get really bored on straight, flat, no-change-of-scenery "trails" that have marked distances, so I just never worried about how far I'd run. Which meant I never knew how fast I ran (or how slow, in my case). But after the Pittsburgh half marathon, I realized I was capable of running faster than I had been for the past couple of years. Enter my renewed obsession with getting a Garmin.

After searching Amazon.com, I finally found a good compromise on getting a Garmin but not paying an arm and a leg (and four toes and part of my midsection). The Garmin Forerunner 50 is a Garmin watch that doesn't have GPS (which is how the 305 and 405 track distnace) but can measure distance with the addition of a FOOT POD. What is a foot pod, you ask? Well, it looks a little something like this:
Bascially it's a small device that you snap onto your shoes using the shoelaces (only have to do that once and it's secure. and it doesn't mess with how tight/lose you keep the laces). I tried to read about the technology of the foot pod and how it works, but I'm not gonna lie, I don't understand it at all! There's a reason I didn't pursue a degree in engineering, folks...
Anyway, the foot pod pairs with you watch allowing you to track distance and therefore PACE! YAY!

Of course, you normally would have to pay a little extra (maybe just an arm) for the foot pod, but since the Forerunner is "outdated" (we're onto the 405 now, hello) you can get the watch, foot pod, heart rate monitor (haven't tried that yet so not part of review), and ANT stick all for $80! what a deal! Click here to see it on amazon.

If you are confused by the acronym ANT and/or wondering what a tiny black insert has to do with a running watch, here is a picture of what the stick looks like:

No, I don't normally hold things at an awkward angle like that. I was intentionally showing off my bright teal nails. Unfortunately, my photography skills are worse than my engineering skills and the color didn't come out as vibrant as it looks in real life. Oh, and the picture needs to be flipped. Whatever, writing skills this badass don't require good photos, right? Ok, don't answer that...

Where was I? The beautiful nails? That's one of the perks of being a nanny for a 12 year old girl. Last time it was purple with loads of sparkles, but I've learned that while a 12 year old can pull sparkles, a 21 year old can't.

FOCUS JANE. So the ANT stick simply plugs into your computer and then you can download your workouts. And it's SO EASY! You basically just store the workout on the watch then plug the stick in and hold the watch close to it and abracadabra a screen comes up with a graph and other nifty information about your run. But the computer part is where I have encountered one problem: the information isn't always correct. Like this morning my watch said I ran 5.22 miles in 42:53, but when I downloaded the workout the computer program told me it was 5.22 miles in 45 something. It gets the distance right, but not the time. Which screws up the pace which totally sucks cause that's what I care about. I probably will call the customer service soon (very good, last time I called I didn't sit on the phone for hours, in fact it was probably like a minute) to see what I can do. For now, I just use the calculator on marathonguide.com to find out pace with the correct distance and time.

So overall (oh man I promised myself I wouldn't use the word overall. so trite!) I'm impressed with the watch and it's really helped me reach my running potential! Obviously there is room for improvement, but I'm already starting to learn what I'm capable of and that I was running too slow before. I used to run 9:30-9:45 or even 10 minute miles and now I'm doing the same hilly runs at about 8:30 pace! I even did a 5k (unofficialy in my neighborhood haha) the other day in 23:54 or something which is around a 7:45 pace. Definitely worth 80 bucks, I'd say.

Oh, and the last but certainly not least important thing is that it's not HUGE! If you've seen the garmin 305 or 405 you know how big they are and I really hate that considering I have a super tiny wrist. As you can tell from the picture above, this watch doesn't overwhelm my arm which is really saying something.

If you have any other questions, lemme know! Hope you enjoyed that review and tune in soon for some sweet pics/random chatter about the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Arts Festival where I will be going tomorrow.

Enjoy your weekends everyone :)

Fun Factoids

Here's an interesting little fact for you:

A FACTOID is an unverified, incorrect or made up statement that is asserted as fact, but actually has no veracity. (thanks, Wiki!)
Another meaning (the meaning that I thought of when I wrote the post title) is an insignificant but true piece of information.
Interesting! I guess I've been misusing the word for quite some time now...wonder what other words i mince meanings with....

Anywho (oh shoot that's not a word either!)...okay, irregardless (they use that in Mean Girls so it's totally legit, right?), the reason i brought up factoids was because on one of the blogs I read, Hangry Pants, Heather challenged her readers to share three fun facts about themselves. What a perfect introduction into a little "about me" section!

Oh, before I launch into my fun little facts, Heather mentioned that her left tooth is fake which reminded me that someone I know (identity will remain concealed) has two fake teeth- the ones surrounding her front teeth. i don't say that to one-up you on the missing tooth contest, only to share the story of this woman having a retainer with fake teeth that she could take out on a whim in order to scare us with her hillbilly smile. If you don't think that's funny, then try really hard to form a mental image of a girl missing those teeth and smiling creepily (another false word). if you still don't think that's funny then watch this as many times as it takes to improve your mood. Then come back and finish the rest of this post :)

So, here are a couple facts about me, Jane Katherine I-don't-feel-comfortable-revealing-my-last-name-online:

1.) I've always loved creative writing, but stopped for quite some time after my old school computer died, taking the story I had been working on with it to the grave.

2.) I won the best game award in my computer science programming class....and i hated the class with a passion. I modeled the game after Text Twist, my favorite addicting game.

3.) I used to write down my dreams, but that only last about a month, or 5 dreams. I still remember some of the especially poignant ones, including a series of dreams involving the loss of teeth (wow weird coincidence to the rest of the post...).

4.) I've attended three different colleges, which will increase to four this fall when I go to Chatham University. Okay, so two of those four were just for summer classes, but I still have the IDs and love telling people I'm on my fourth college.

5.) I used to be a REALLY picky eater, and would even get upset when the jelly dripped off the side of my sandwich or my apple had any signs of skin or the seperate foods on my plate touched.

6.) The only famous person i've met is Bill Rogers, a crazy elite runner who is, well, crazy (not really mentally unstable, just kinda cooky.) He won the Boston Marathon multiple times.

7.) I made my Sadies Hawkins dress in high school. Okay, so my mom helped a lot, but I designed it and definitely sewed a lot of it.

8.) I have pretty bad eyesight, but refused to get glasses. I waited until 8th grade to do anything, cause my parents would finally let me get contacts at that age. Now I think my eyesight has gotten worse and I hope to get lasik eye surgery some day.

9.) When I went to watch my mom run her first marathon, it was probably around 80 degrees or warmer that day and I had the nerve to complain about the heat. It was only until years later when I started running that I realized how amazing it was that she even finished running 26.2 miles, let alone in that crazy heat and humidity. Oh yeah, and that was the year that the men's Olympic Trials were held at the Pittsburgh marathon (2000).

10.) I used to have favorite numbers: 3 and 5. I honestly would try to do things in sets of 3, 5 or at least an odd number. Why an odd number? Maybe cause I'm awfully ODD for even having that habit...

Okay, so now you know 10 random things about me (ok, so maybe you already knew them, Mom)! I guess fact 11 could be that i'm an overachiever, considering Heather only asked for 3 ;)
Anyone have any other questions for me? Basic, random, funny, serious, whatever- BRING EM ON!

I'll leave you with a picture from the past, cause i'm sure there's an unwritten blogging rule out there that says you can't post with at least one picture. This is from freshman year at Calvin College. I'm wearing a pair of pants that is so big that I was able to stretch them over my entire body. Very attractive, no? I'm thinking of passing this fashion trend on to Vogue, what do you think? :)

Alive and Kickin'

The other day I was talking to Jordan on the phone and he asked, "Jane, are you letting the blog die a slow death?"

Sounds so sad, doesn't it? I have about a million excuses- wanted to focus on other things, don't have a camera, don't make very creative food, don't have anything interesting going on in my life, etc. But this blog was Jordan and my baby (don't get any ideas) and he cares a lot about it, so that means I do too!

So this is my attempt to revive the blog. Call it a CPR post, only unlike an episode of ER there will not be any blood, drama or sexy doctors (mmm George Clooney). Well, I guess I just lost my invisible readers there, so I'll just proceed to talk to myself and Jordan and my mom (Hey mom!)

The truth is I don't have much to write about and certainly don't have any pictures cause Jordan is the one with the camera. However, he did show me how to save (*cough*steal*cough*) the proofs from the half marathon pictures onto my computer. Unfortunately, they still have "Sports Photo" (the company that takes the pictures) written over my face, but I'd have to fork over a minimum of $20 to get the real pictures and I'm cheap. Plus, they aren't really that good, I look like I'm 12 years old. Not nearly as cheesy as my Grand Rapids half marathon picture where I have two thumbs up and this HUGE grin on my face. I get so freakin excited when I race (even though I'm not fast), I'm like a poster girl for enthusiasm for running.
Okay, well that's probably enough rambling that anyone can stomach for now, so I'll sign off. But I wanted to let you all know that my blog is still alive and I even have some ideas for upcoming posts. For instance...
1.) A review of the Forerunner 50 Garmin I bought- I know, everyone has the fancy 305 or 405 but the 50 with the footpod is bomb and I'll tell you why!
2.) A post about myself, cause that's my specialty. I thought maybe I should introduce myself a little better so you know the girl behind the musings. Does anyone have any questions for me? Otherwise I will probably go on a tangent about reading or running shoes or college or whatever comes to my mind....
3.) Some of my favorite quick recipes when you don't have time to cook or (more likely) you don't feel like it!

Come back soon, and help revive this blog with me!

Achitecture Final

I am designing this sweet building for my architecture final...

I made this sweet animation in 3d studio max to show how I came up with the massing that effects the facade. I will be talking during my presentation and there is no sound to the video so I will just give you the highlights. First there is a revolving cube where I will talk about the site. Then I will talk about how narrow the lot is which makes the building ed up pretty tall (purple). Then to fix the awkward proportions I divided the building into 3 connected towers making a micro-block of buildings. I push the ground level over to the left to make room for the grocery store. Lastly I turned the middle section which is mostly window to give a better view between the buildings across the street.