So I had every intention of running this morning after I slept in a bit, however that was not to be.  Mother Nature again had other plans.  I really wish she would start coordinating things with me.  Today was super windy and damp cold.  I am not running in that.  I am over the wind.  I couldn’t do strength because I just did that on Sunday (the 14th).  This left me with an impromptu rest day.  I was a bit cranky about it this morning as well.  I would have been perfectly happy having this weather on Friday.  Friday I don’t have anything to do and it’s already a scheduled rest day.  But noooo Mother Nature has to work alone without consulting anyone.

I could have done some yoga but I really didn’t feel like it.  There’s not a whole lot more I can say about that.

I was going to take Rocky for a long walk but it was still windy at lunchtime.  Meh.  So we went on a regular walk around the ‘hood.

DLS started Sunday morning and the downside to DSL (beside having to enduring everyone complaining about it like it’s some sort of catastrophe) is that now it isn’t light again until 7:30am.  This only lasts a few weeks but man it can be a bummer.  Looking forward to light at 6:30am again!

My arms and hamstrings are a bit tight and sore today from Sunday’s new DVD sesh.  Hooray!  Being sore means I worked it and my muscles worked it.

Tuesday, March 16th:

I was a bit nervous about a run today because I thought that perhaps it might start raining again.  Monday night the winds has picked up something crazy and it was sort of misting/sprinkling when we left stick-fighting class that night.  However I woke up to what looked like would be clear skies once the sun was up.  Hooray!

I sort of just ran around and explored some new parts of my ‘hood.  I was cruising along doing my thing and then ran into some construction guys *grumble* which meant I would not be able to make that loop again.  I took that as a sign to branch out a bit more.  I ended up running just shy of six miles which is a good run!  It was slow going because I was dealing with a side stitch a few times and since I was exploring new territory I needed to look around and gather my bearings.

In all honesty I don’t care for the new area all that much but it does provide extra space when needed.  I’m pretty sure the trail by my house might be clear of snow at this point but I don’t really want to run that early in the morning by myself on an isolated trail.  Sunday mornings are different because there are other people out and about.  I don’t think there would be too many there on a weekday morning.

Despite my slowish pace the run was great this morning and it was lovely to be able to get back outside and moving!

Wednesday, March 17th:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Do you celebrate?  We celebrate slightly.  Scott is half Irish and I think there is some Irish in my bloodline.  Well now, I know that for sure given my maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Kelly.  That’s pretty typical Irish.  My mom’s side of the family is pretty hodge-podge while my dad’s is straight up off the boat Polish.  That’s the side I identify with more.

Um, but since you aren’t here for OHC Family Genealogy time, I’ll get to the workout.

Plans for today were to include hitting up a local museum with FF.  Since she was going to come over at 10:30 that would not give me enough time for a run this morning since daylight isn’t until 7:30am now.  Therefore I got up early and did two levels of shred instead (2 and 3).  I upped my weights on a few of the workouts to 10lb dumbbells.  Some of the moves I still have to stick with 5lbs.  I have to say using the 10lbs makes me feel like a rockstar!  RAWR!  But also hard, damn!  FF and I ended up not making the museum trip since it was St. Patrick’s Day and downtown would have been crazy.

We did a lot of clenching in Muay Thai Tuesday night so my chest, shoulders, and neck are sore and tight today.  I’m considering taking some ibuprofen and applying some Thai oil (think Tiger balm but better) to the areas.

I don’t really post about my martial arts training too much.  Is this something I should talk about more?  Would you guys be interested in that?

Thursday, March 18th:

Kicked off the day with 8 miles!  Hell yeah!  And I felt awesome!  It was a gorgeous spring morning and I felt like I could have run forever.  Glorious!

Later, Scott and I kicked it hard at MT conditioning class.  Whooo!

Friday, March 19th:

Rest day, rest day!  Other than changing out of my jammies once to take Rocky for a walk, I was in my jammies all day long.  It was fantastic and the evening ended with some homemade sushi.  Best day!

Saturday, March 20th:

Muay Thai day! Partner drills with a new guy today. Sometimes it’s funny working with a new person because some are afraid to hit me.   I promised the guy it was alright to kick me but he was still a little hesitant. I can take it!

Sunday, March 21st:

Long run! I’m working on figuring out some new routes (still)so that I’m not making 50 loops around my ‘hood to get some distance in.  It’s a little rough at the moment as I figure things out but for the most part I’m finding new areas to run and I’m not feeling like hamster on a wheel.  Today was supposed to be a 10 mile day but um, since I explored and went into new areas, it turned out a bit longer.

Like 10.7 miles.  Whoops!  It was a long run and I was tired by the end but I busted it out and am feeling pretty pleased with myself.   I am so ready to rock out my upcoming 1/2! Kick ass!

Recently I have been wondering if runners are starting to rely on gear too much to get them through a run?  That’s Fit recently had an article on runner’s opinions about running gear that people don’t need.  It was pretty interesting.  Some of the answers I agree with and some I do not.

Amanda also recently had a question on her blog, What is the one piece of running gear you definitely need?  I did not read other people’s answers but my answer was my shoe pouch, seen above.  It holds all my info and my keys.  While most clothes now have pockets, sometimes they aren’t very secure and sometimes they are not big enough for my keys.  My shoe pouch is fantastic.

But I do wonder if people rely on gear too much to get through a run?  Two of the most common complaints I see that runners make are:

1. Complain about their iPod or whatever dieing out during a run and then the “run was so hard”, or “it was torture to get through that run!”

Really?  I mean, REALLY?  Because if running is that unpleasant of a task for you without music, then why are you running?  Perhaps it’s just something I don’t understand since I don’t run with music.  I run on the road and I run alone (back off creepies, I’ve got skills), I can’t take the chance of not hearing something coming up on me.  It’s also a time for me to chill with my thoughts and work things out that need worked through.  I don’t really want to jam to something that early in the AM.  I enjoy the sunrise and the quiet instead.  This is also why I run alone because I have no desire to talk to anyone that early in the morning. Conversations aren’t high on my list of importance at that time.

2. Freaking out when their garmin doesn’t work.

For some reason I’ve seen a lot of runners postpone or bail on a run just because their garmin wasn’t working.  Runner What?!

Why is your garmin dictating your schedule?  It’s a gadget and you are a human being with a life.  Tell the gadget to stuff it and get your run on!  One day without is no big deal.

In full disclosure I run with a HRM and sometimes it gets wonky on me and doesn’t record right.  I get irritated.  I curse it and tell it that it is not pretty anymore.

I don’t let my gadgets decide my schedule.  Weather and injuries are the only things that keep me from a run.

This is a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about lately though, if runners are starting to rely on gadgets too much.  If companies are starting to make unnecessary things just because someone somewhere is definitely going to buy it?

Do you run with a lot of gear? If it crapped out on you, will you still run or will that keep you home?  Are you able to run just to run and have fun, or is it always about tracking stats?

On to Pizza! Which is why you’re here, isn’t it?

• Spelt Crust
• Pizza Sauce
• Shredded moz and pepperjack
• Shredded carrot
• Red Onion
• Broccoli
• Chopped artichoke
• Buffalo chicken sausage
• Hot sauce on top

YUM!

It was delicious, glorious, and soul comforting.

I decided to try something a bit different and went with the pepperjack.  I put it on top of all the toppings and it melted wonderfully.  It wasn’t spicy at all really and the effect it had on the pizza was just a more glorious cheese component.  Turned out yummy! Next time I might cut it down just a tad as it was almost too much cheese.

Yes there is such a thing!

Biggest accomplishment with this pizza?  We achieved BUBBLE!  I don’t know about you but we love bubbles.  You know, a nice air pocket in the dough that puffs up and expands as the dough bakes?  Those are highly coveted in these parts.  We had bubble on this pizza AND it was all on my side.

Mwahahaha!

It was delicious! Of course I got the evil eye stare down from Rocky because we save all our crusts for him and he also enjoys The Bubble but I ate my bubble with glee this week.

**Sorry kid, maybe next time will be for you!

**Probably not.

Scott and I arrived at the center just before 4pm and we met with Michael Marcus who is the director of sales, Heather, also part of that team, and Brian who is a trainer at MHHC.  We waited around for a few other local healthy living bloggers to arrive and then we were off on the tour.  I have to say that I’m extremely glad that I went because I learned so many things about the center!

My original thought was that it was a rehab and monitoring center for those that have had heart problems in the past.  And while the center does do that, it also has other features that are open to the public.  For example, there is a full gym located inside the center that is open to the public for memberships.  Did you know this?  I didn’t know this!

The gym is a full-featured gym with exercise equipment and an indoor track.  The gym also has three pools; a lap pool, an exercise pool, and a therapy pool.  All of them are heated.

There are personal trainers who work the gym area and can offer advice on workouts or even help you with a machine if you have some questions about it.  Each member is given a program ID card if they want it.  The card can be inserted into the machines and then your session will pop up on a screen telling you how much weight and reps you should be doing currently.  It tracks and records your progress as well.  This is the first I’ve seen of such a thing on weight machines.

There are stretching areas, a basketball court, and a physical therapy room.  There are also rooms for yoga and pilates specifically.  Spinning, step, and other group classes are also available.  They are located another level down in a very quiet and peaceful section of the gym.  Sports medicine and acupuncture are also available here!

Locker rooms have showers, saunas, and steam rooms.  Daycare is available for gym members.

The building has meeting rooms that are available for reservation for business or group functions.  Gym services can also be worked into the meeting reservation.  Catering is also available!

The MHHC has its very own Heart Healthy Cafe that serves hot lunches everyday and hot breakfast on Sundays.  I was also told that the cafe is Vegetarian and Vegan friendly.

The newest addition that MHHC has going on is its brand new getaway lodges, Big Red’s Lodges!  Now you might be thinking, “Andrea what? A getaway lodge at a Heart Health Center?”  And I’m here to tell you, yes it’s true!

Just a short walk from the center itself, nestled on 30 acres of wooded land are the newest additions to MHHC, 4 new lodges, each lodge housing two units.  The lodges have patios and access to walking trails as well.

Each room is like having your very own posh suite.  There’s a living room with a fireplace and cozy couch.  Also there is a small wet bar with sink, small fridge, microwave, and coffee pot.  There’s a very large bathroom and bedroom located right off of the living room.  Each unit has free WiFi, satellite TV and a landline if needed.  Riverside Security makes routine rounds and each unit has an emergency call button.

The Heart Center has created Healthy Escape Weekends.  You can make reservations to stay at the lodge for either one night or two nights.  A stay includes:

• A night in the Lodge
• Full and complete access to the Heart Health Center
• Customized Personal Training
• Continental Breakfast
• Optional Heart Healthy dinner at Fish Market (optional)

Your stay length will determine how many hours of personal training you can receive.  But I was assured that they are open and willing to discuss that with you to make sure that you get everything you need out of your stay.

The link above discusses a possible romantic getaway which would be great for a couple looking to maybe start exercising more or possibly reevaluating their current program to see how it can be bumped up to a more challenging level.

But don’t think this is just limited to couples!  A girls weekend would be great!  Or even the traveling business person who’s looking for a quiet place to stay with access to a complete gym and easy access to the highway.  There are many reasons one would be able to stay at the Lodge!  The prices are extremely reasonable and they include both people!    The price listed is not per person.

With the personalized training, they can help you take a closer look at what your goals and your wants are, then help you achieve those.  This goes for any and all athletes!  They can help you improve your golf swing or your running gait.  They can help you with basics or more advanced issues.  Whatever you need they will be able to assist you and help you improve your condition.

Doesn’t that sound like an amazing mini-escape? And you don’t even have to travel that far, it is located right in Columbus!

Would you like to try it out?

Well you are in luck because OHC is currently in possession of TWO One-Night Stays at Big Red’s Lodges!  And we’re having a contest so you can try them out!

Contest Rules:

1. Leave a comment with your thoughts about MHHC newest addition.
2. Provide a valid email address so I am able to contact you if you win.

Also note that you will have to provide me with a valid mailing address if you win so I can mail you the voucher.

The contest will close on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 12pm EST.  I will announce the winners that day as well!

Hooray!  What a great opportunity to get feedback and guidance from professionals who only want to see you succeed with your fitness goals!

Contacts and Information:

McConnell Heart Health Center

3773 Olentangy River Road

Columbus, OH 43214

Michael Marcus, Director of Sales at MHHC (Info can be found at link)

Yvonne Rayburn, Webbed Marketing, @yrayburn

Healthy Escapes Weekend at Big Red’s Lodges

McConnell Heart Health Center

Ohio Health Twitter

Ohio Health Facebook

WINNERS!!!

Alright, I had to do some figuring of numbers since I commented and there were double comments.  Random Number generator picked the winners and they are:

EmZeeGee AND Marie!!!

Congrats Ladies! I will be in contact soon!

Trying out different base sauces for pizza can be a very rewarding experience! And while something might not turn our perfect, the chances of it still tasting mighty fine are high.

While I do love old school style with straight up pizza sauce, I also enjoy testing out new sauces as well!  Pesto works really great as a pizza base and it’s something that can easily be made at home with honestly, whatever ingredients you have on hand.

Heating up some olive oil with a few cloves of cracked garlic, then brushing that on top of the dough can be used as a base to great pizza.  Simple and very easy! Plus it helps keep the pizza really light and airy.

Did you make pasta and have some leftover sauce?  Use that as a base! It doesn’t even have to be a tomato sauce, maybe you have some creamy cheese sauce leftover?  Maybe you have leftover BBQ sauce from a recent cookout?  Or perhaps a leftover dressing from a salad?  Try it!  Who knows, you just might discover the next best thing!

Both of us, unfortunately, found ourselves in a situation where people didn’t want to eat the food that we had made.  Or if they did, it was sort of begrudgingly.

A recent encounter I had, I made some PB cookies for some company.  They ate the cookies and said they were yummy.  When I explained that they were vegan and I used whole wheat flour, they didn’t touch the cookies for the rest of the visit.

What happened?  One minute the cookies were yummy and the next minute my cookies were carrying some sort of disease.

Kim is a vegan and her recent encounter she was wondering if perhaps her visitors thought the food would taste “too vegan”.  Meaning, of course, “too healthy”.

That thought is actually what got us started talking about it a little bit more.  For me it was a lightbulb moment because Kim was exactly right.  Both of our situations, the people who don’t necessarily follow the same diets each of us have, seemed to shy away from healthier things.  As if, since it’s healthy, it obviously cannot taste good.

My visitor didn’t touch any other baked good I had made for the rest of their several day stay.  I had chocolate zucchini bread and breakfast muffins but those didn’t get touched.  My guess is because if the PB cookies were crazy with being vegan and using whole wheat flour, then goodness everything else must be hippy-drippy healthy too, right?

And if it’s healthy, then clearly it is not going to taste good.

It’s a really limited perception of food.

Had I not said anything perhaps my visitor would have kept munching along like nothing was amiss.  Should I have done that?  I don’t know.  Part of me would feel like I was hiding a dirty secret.

It makes me wonder if people are actually afraid of healthy food?  People talk all the time about trying to become more healthy and eating healthy but yet shy away from healthy food.  I have to wonder if it is all talk on their part and they aren’t really interested in discovering more healthy ways to eat.  Or are they just assuming that healthy = flavorless and yucky?

Have you ever had this happen to you?  People shy away and not want to eat your healthy meals?  Do you think that people are afraid of healthy food?  Do you think that they aren’t interested in it or that they assume it is going to taste icky?

Some days I go back and forth on how I want to handle Monday mornings.  Sometimes I’m very get-up-and-go while other times I would like some extra sleep.  Today sort of fell in between the two.  I wanted to sleep in but once I woke up this morning, I wanted to be up and get things moving.

I did two levels of shred (level 2 and 3) and that was it, no extra weight sessions for me this morning.  My legs were tired!  Although after my 10 miles yesterday they were not as tired as I assumed they would be.  I was still able to get through the shred with no issues.  However going up and down steps right now I can tell they are a bit fatigued.  Will have to see how that pans out for my run tomorrow.

We’ve been having sun the last few days here and it’s been wonderful!  The outdoor hose has thawed enough that I was able to give the birdies clean water this morning.  And most of the snow has melted in the backyard so that now we can see most of our lawn.  The best part is that we were able to find Rocky’s lost bootie!

When we first started getting hit with these huge snow storms, Rocky was out back romping around and he lost a bootie.  We didn’t realize it till after Scott started making paths for him to walk around which meant that Scott shoveled snow on top of his bootie.  It was totally lost.  Today I found it!  Now it just needs a good scrub.

Tuesday, March 9th:

I cranked out five miles and called it good.  The best part is having my running gloves back!   I washed my gloves and then all of the sudden I had a glove missing!  I looked everywhere but could not find it.  I just assumed that dryer monster ate it and I was cranky about that.  Then Monday night Scott was pulling out a pair of socks and my glove was wrapped up in his socks! Apparently I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and folded my glove in with his sock.  Whoops!  Even though I don’t care for the gloves much, they are my running gloves and I wanted them back!

Wednesday, March 10th:

Oh Spring, I love you but can do without all the rain.  It was the start of the rain we would see for the rest of the week.  I was actually dressed for my run and was just waiting for it to get a bit lighter outside when it started pouring.

Curses!

I trudged back upstairs and changed into different clothes and kicked it with some shred instead.  Level 2 and 3 of shred and called it a day.

Thursday, March 11th:

It wasn’t raining yet and I headed out for an awesome long run.  I cranked out 8 miles and it was glorious!  The sun was out and it was warm.  In fact it was so warm that I was overdressed and slightly in the uncomfortable zone.  The best part is that it’s lighter earlier and I was able to be done with that before 8am.  Hoorah!

I was dead tired though by the end of the day and so we stayed home and did not hit conditioning class.

Friday, March 12th:

Rest day! Rest day!  I went out and about with FF.  We went to breakfast and then shopping.  I got a lovely pair of black flats at TJ Maxx and then she dropped me off at Filene’s.  I got a great pair of mary jane type tennis shoes that will be great for summer.  They are blue and gorgeous.

Saturday, March 13th:

Ended up being an impromptu rest day.  Originally I was going to run a 5K that morning with FF but oh my gosh it started raining and wouldn’t quit.  It was pouring rain like crazy! And it rained all freaking day long.  I was still really exhausted and my body was tired so instead of working out, I went back to bed and chilled the rest of the day.  It was amazing and I didn’t even change outta my jammies.

Sunday, March 14th:

So I was going to do my long run this morning but Mo’ Nat had other plans. I really wanted to get a long run in, I’m ready to do another 10!  However it was raining this morning when I got up.  I went back to bed.  Yes this weekend is all about me and my bed!  When I got back up it was still raining so I busted out my new Jillian DVD, No More Trouble Zones.

Shit that was rough!  The first circuit is all shoulder stuff and it killed me.  GAH!  The rest is challenging but totally doable.  I got it at Target during the week along with a set of 10lb weights.

I loved it and felt amazing once I was done.  I really do love strength training (actually I just love working out) and am glad that I’m incorporating it more into my week.  However I do miss the calories burned total! When you do cardio you burn a good bit of cals.  The longer the carido and the higher your HR that you maintain for an extended period of time means more cals burned.

With strength, it’s not like that because you don’t have the high cardio level.  I do like how there is cardio and strength mixed in the Shred DVD.  Trouble Zones has a little bit of cardio in the beginning but the rest is strength and core workouts.  When I was done with the workout and saw that I only burned 280 cals I was a little bummed.  I’m trying to come to terms with that is how strength training works.  And that just because the cal amount isn’t high doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything.  I still worked it!

Goals for this upcoming week is to definitely get more running in!

Scott always talks about those big noodle bowls that you sometimes see at Asian restaurants and how delicious and yummy they look.

“I can make that for you.  What do they taste like?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well what’s in them?”

“I don’t know.”

“Haven’t you had one before?”

“No. I just think they look good.”

“I see.”

Not much info to work with but I decided to try and find out what I could do.  Scott was not feeling well one day and I decided to make him some “Asian soup”.  I put a bunch of stuff in a pot, added noodles and it was fantastic.  We’ve been having Asian Noodle Soup ever since when want some veggies or if Scott’s allergies are bad that day.

It’s evolved over time.  Me finding new ingredients or adding in different veggies but the core has stayed the same and we love it.

Andrea’s Asian Noodle Soup

• 1 10oz Package of Ramen noodles
• 1/2 Large onion, chopped
• 4 Carrots chopped
• 5 Kale leaves, stems removed and chopped
• 3 Baby bok choy, chopped
• 1 Small head of broccoli
• 2 Quarts of Chicken stock
• 2tsp Soy sauce
• 1TBSP Chili Garlic Sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2tsp Garlic Powder
• 1tsp Smoked Paprika
• Drizzle toasted sesame oil (or regular sesame oil)
• Olive oil for sauteeing

In a large soup pot, drizzle some olive oil (about a TBSP) and heat over medium heat.  Add in the onions and carrots and stir, covering them with the oil.  Season with S&P, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.  Allow to sautee for about 5 minutes, then add in the garlic chili sauce and stir.  Add in the soy sauce and stir.  Slowly add in the chicken stock and stir.  Add in the kale and broccoli florets.  Drizzle in the sesame oil and stir.  Bring soup up to a simmer and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Add in the bok choy the last few minutes of cooking as it doesn’t take long to become tender.

About 10 minutes before serveing, cook the ramen noodles in a large pot of boiling water.  They only take a few minutes to cook.  Drain and place back in pot.

To serve, in a large soup bowl, spoon in some noodles then pour the soup on top.  Serve and enjoy!

Scott loves a ton of noodles with his soup.  He then adds in some Sriracha and slurps to his hearts content.

I have made this soup with shredded cabbage as well and that works really well.  I have made the soup without broccoli and without the garlic chili sauce.  It’s a pretty basic soup that is really versatile and will take on whatever you decide to toss in there. I’ve even added in shrimp for a little extra fun.

I like my soup just as soup and save all the noodles for Scott.  It works just as well that way and still hits the spot as a great soup.

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Wednesday Scott and I had a meeting to attend and then afterwards we hit up Target really quick for a few things.  Why I can only find Tide Free HE at Target is beyond me, but it is what it is.

When we go to Target we split up because I want to scan the workout aisle and also the sales racks.  Oh and shoes.  Scott doesn’t want to look at that stuff and quite honestly I don’t want him up my butt as I’m checking out the 50% off deals.  Once I was done looking at stuff, I headed into the men’s section to check on deals there and see if there was anything for Scott.

I don’t know about your man but mine, if left to his own devices, will never ever find anything that he likes.  Yet when I rewalk the section with him pointing stuff out, I get the “Oh I didn’t see that.”  “Yeah that’s alright.”  “Okay, that’s cool.”  Basically it comes down to the fact that he doesn’t really look.  This has led to me to just send him off to the tech section and then I’ll go through myself picking stuff out for him.  When I’m ready to hook back up with him, I’ll send a text asking where he is. Lord what did we do before cell phones?  Did we just wander the store aimlessly searching for our loved ones?

That is a long winded explanation of what I’m about to show you which is a text conversation we had with each other in the store Wednesday evening.

Setting: Me looking at men’s T-shirts at Target, trying to decide which one to pick up for Scott.

Me: Hey, Xmen, justice league, ironman&wolverine?

Scott: Is that a question? JL is DC comics, the others are Marvel.

Me: What do you like DC or Marvel?

Me: Dork.

Scott: I’d choose xmen probably.

Me: Figured.

Me: Where you at?

Scott: Behind you.

It was at this point a sales person asked if he could help me find anything and I explained that no, I already found what I needed.

Make sure you take note of Scott’s response because let’s be real, that is a total dorktastic answer.  I’m asking a simple question and all the sudden we need to be clear that there is a distinction and that we can’t just throw superheros together now.  There are rules!

Yes my husband was a comic person.  We have boxes of his comics that go with us every time we move. Those boxes are heavy and awkwardly shaped.  Scott is a dork (a hawt one though!) and really he doesn’t ever try to hide that.  He is who he is and he is very comfortable with himself.  I love that!

Because of him, I have fallen into the dork category.  He brought me over to the dark side.  Granted I’m not as knowledgeable as he nor will I ever be.  But after 13 years together, here are some of the things I know:

• About comics and that yes there are two different producers of comics.
• There is a difference between a comic and a graphic novel.
• I know what Unix is and I know that it is not an abbreviation for unitard.
• I know what XHTML, CSS, Ruby, TCL are, but I still can’t write in them.
• I know what the terminal is on my computer, how to access it, and what to do with it. Sometimes I still need a little guidance.
• I know Spock is half human and half Vulcan.
• I know the guy in the red shirt always dies.

But best of all?  Scott is responsible for introducing me to the world of video gaming.  At first he was pleased with himself and now I can’t help but wonder if he’s feels he’s created a monster.  We currently have the new platforms, an Xbox 360 and a PS3.  We had a Wii but sold it because it was not our bag.

The whole reason we even have a PS3 is because at the time, Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction was about to be released and only for the PS3.  Ratchet and Clank is a game series and one of my very favorite.  I HAD to have the new game which clearly meant we had to get the PS3.

Yes kids, I game.  I game as much as I can when I have the time.  Scott and I game together.  We play all sorts, from co-ops to single players.  When we play single player games, we just pass the controller back and forth.  It works out really well because we are each better at some things than the other.  Scott can drive and fly really well while I hate that shit.  I can find hidden treasures and secret entrances like nobody’s business.  Plus I’m a better sniper and our most recent completion of Army of Two: The 40th Day, backs up that statement.  I believe I ended the game with close to 500 sniper kills.

Holla!

Gaming love has spilled over into other areas of life as well.  Christmas 2008 brought my gaming love to a whole new level.  I received two presents, one which made me squee with delight and one which made me cry because it was beautiful and thoughtful.

Squee: I got a Marcus Fenix Action figure who is a foot tall and talks. He sits on my desk and he is fantastic.

Cry: One of our very favorite games is BioShock.  If you’ve played it, you know that music plays a huge roll in the game.  We fell in love with the music but sadly the company never released a CD.  Bummer.  For Christmas that year Scott gave me this:

Sorry for the flash, it was the best I could get. Taking pics of CDs is surprisingly more difficult than I expected!

Yes, it’s a BioShock CD that he made for me.  He found all the songs (plus some others we just like) and bought them then burned them to a CD.  He found the art and font from the game and used it to make the CD.  Here are some other views of the bestest present ever.

Other than a few twitter mentions, I haven’t really explained on here that this week is Birthday Week for yours truly.  For shiz!

For those that are new, we celebrate birthdays all week long at the HQ.  Sometimes we do prezzies each day and other times we focus more on events and food with a small prezzie on the actual birthday.  This year is a prezzie-everyday-year.  For Scott’s birthday week, the theme for his prezzies was Zombies and he got Zombie related items everyday.  I did this a few years ago as well and it was very well received, which is why I brought it back this year.  Please bear in mind that these are not large purchases.  Each prezzie is more like stocking stuffer type deal.  Small fun stuff! It is fun to open a present everyday! If you haven’t tried this before I highly recommend it.

Okay and circle back to me.

There is currently a theme going on with my prezzies and that theme seems to be gaming related!  Except for the first prezzie, which Scott did say was off theme.

Prezzie #1 was the Blu-Ray of Black Dynamite.  Totally hilarious movie which we adore.  Score!

Prezzie #2 is a novel explaining in detail the story of the Gears of War world.  It explains how it came to be and gives more detail into the characters lives.

Prezzie #3 is a Gears of War graphic novel explaining the story between the first and second game.

Prezzie #4 is the Little Sister’s stuffed Big Daddy doll from BioShock 2.  Yes it’s creepy and yes it’s totally fantastic.

Prezzie #5 is a poster from BioShock.  If you take a look at the back of the CD up there, you’ll notice an image with a rabbit mask.  That is what I now have a huge poster of.  Squeee!!!

Clearly you can see how my dork side has blossomed and emerged.  All because of Scott.  Now we can be dorky together.  And hopefully bust out a new game this week!

Andrea Out. Over.

• Spelt crust
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded moz and feta
• Red onion
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Sundried tomatoes

Mmm mmm!

Kilax asked about the spelt flour I use and here’s what the Internets tell me about spelt:

Spelt is similar to wheat in appearance. However, spelt has a tougher husk than wheat, which may help protect the nutrients in spelt. Spelt flour has a somewhat nuttier and slightly sweeter flavor than whole wheat flour. Spelt contains more protein than wheat, and the protein in spelt is easier to digest. This means that some people who are allergic to wheat may be able to tolerate spelt. Spelt has gluten, just like wheat, so spelt is not suitable for a gluten-free diet.

Excerpt from Nutrition.about.com

There is also a Wikipedia Entry

I love spelt!  I find it easier to work with than whole wheat although I still do use WW in a lot of my baking.  Spelt tastes nuttier and it mixes up easier so I don’t have to worry too much about over mixing and causing the dough to become tough.  Whole Foods usually has spelt in the bulk section for pretty decent price.  I really like it for pizza dough because it gives the pizza a little more umph.  Spelt rocks!

Newman’s Own makes spelt pretzels if you’re looking to taste test some spelt.  Although I have not tried those so I can’t give a review!

Okay gang I’m off for the night to rest and enjoy some wine!  Cheers!