Hello, everyone!   I thought it would be fun to share some of the random things I’m into these days.  I hope you enjoy!

Serial Podcast
A couple of months ago while on the Road, I listened to a This American Life (NPR) podcast called “Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde”.  It was narrated by a woman named Sarah Koenig and told the story of a doctor who was convicted of killing his own father, and her discoveries investigating the case.  The entire hour I was on the edge of my car seat, heart pounding, wondering what was going to happen next – and I was shocked by what Sarah learned really happened.

Then, a couple of weeks ago when driving back from Cleveland, I was reunited with Sarah – but this time, in a spinoff Podcast of TAL called “Serial“.  Serial is a series of episodes that all connect to tell one story.  The first episode of Serial was aired two Sundays ago on TAL, and then was released as its own podcast that airs on Thursdays each week.  Over the course of many weeks, the listener is taken through a story – and this first story is told once again by Sarah, and once again about a murder.  This time, the murder of a 17-year-old girl in Baltimore in 1999.  Her ex-boyfriend was convicted of the crime and has spent the last 15 years in jail.  Sarah was contacted by the boy’s mother in 2013, pleading with her to investigate the murder, as her son still proclaims his innocence til this day.

Four episodes have aired, with the fifth released tomorrow, and I cannot wait!  It’s THAT good.  Sarah tells and incredible story that has you questioning the police investigation, trial, and post-trial every step of the way.  I highly recommended you start from the beginning and listen to Serial…and then let me know so we can talk about it!

The Killing
As if listening to a weekly podcast about the murder of a teenage girl isn’t enough to make me creeped out, I’m also watching a show about the same subject called The Killing that my parents recommended.  And just like Serial, the story of this teenage girl’s death is told episode by episode.  Unlike most crime shows that showcase a new investigation each episode, every episode of The Killing is about the same investigation into this young girl’s brutal murder.  I can’t say enough good things about the show:  the acting is incredible and the story line is so detailed and believable that I find myself thinking about this case as if it’s real.  The show takes place in Seattle, and it’s almost always dark and raining…adding to the suspense.  I’m scared to watch it alone, and yet I must keep watching it!

Triathlon Schedule
On a happier note, I’m already planning my 2015 Triathlon schedule!  Spectating the marathon this past weekend got me all excited.  If you recall, I did a sprint triathlon earlier in the summer through the Ohio State Ross Heart Hospital’s “Tri Fit Challenge”.  Well, they just released the dates for next year – and it’s the same weekend as the Challenge New Albany Triathlon, where I did my first Olympic Tri this year!  At first I was disappointed that the races were on the same weekend, but then I realized that this means I can do my Olympic Tri  at the “Tri Fit Challenge”, which was a much cooler course and really fun for spectators (the transition from bike-to-run is in Ohio Stadium!).  So long, Challenge New Albany!  I’ll find a different sprint to compete in earlier in the summer.  Getting excited!

Casual Week
This week is my company’s annual Casual Week fundraiser for United Way.  For $10, you can dress casual all week – aka, jeans and boots for this girl!  I look forward to this week all year.  It’s the small things, right?  And you’ll notice I didn’t bother to blowdry my hair in favor of an extra 15 minutes of sleep – extra casual!

Boxing
I tried something new tonight at my personal training session:  Boxing!  I workout with another one of Dustin’s clients on Wednesday nights, Hayley, and she and I switched off between boxing and doing sets of heavy weight exercises.  It was intense and fun!  I have a long way to go before I really have the hang of boxing, but it was a fun change of pace.

In case you’re wondering, we did the following workout in between boxing sessions:

Three sets of:

• Back squats x 15 @ 55
• Pushups x 15

Three sets of:

• Clean & press x 10 @ 45
• Reverse lunge & hop x 8 ea. @ 40

It was HARD.

Croutons
And finally, I leave you with some food.  Lately I’ve been into making homemade croutons!  They make the average salad or bowl of soup so much more exciting.  On Sunday, I bought a big loaf of garlic bread (already baked) from the bakery section of my grocery store.  I let it sit out on my counter for a few days, getting all nice and dry – stale bread makes better croutons than fresh.  Then tonight, I simply sliced it into bite-sized pieces, coated the pieces in some EVOO, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (can never have too much garlic!) and baked at 250 for ~30-40 minutes, until crunchy but still chewy.

The loaf I had made about a million croutons, so I’ll be enjoying them for quite some time!  Store in an airtight container, and you can even freeze if you make too many like I did.  I served a few tonight on top of a big salad (with egg, cheese, avocado, and veggies – yum!).

Almost the weekend!