A month and a half ago I wrote a post titled Random.  I’ve decided to turn that into a series of “Random” posts, similar to my “Adventures” posts – but instead of writing about my latest Adventures, I’ll write about whatever random things I’ve been into lately.  Enjoy the randomness!

Serial Update
I talked about Serial in my first Random post.  If you’re still not listening to this outstanding podcast, I ask you – what the hell are you waiting for?!  I’m proud to say I’m a part of the fraction of listeners who have been tuning into serial since the very first episode.  Week by week, I waited eagerly for each episode to be released on Thursday mornings – no binge listening here (not going to lie, kind of jealous of those people). And now, ten episodes in, everyone is doing it!  With 1.26 million downloads per week, you can be assured that bringing it up at your next holiday social engagement is a sure-fire way to stir up conversation.  So get listening!

And for those of you who are smart and have been listening – check out this awesome Serial People Map I found on the Serial Facebook page.  It’s hard to keep everyone straight, especially if you’ve been listening to the podcast for two months like I have.  There are tons of other timelines and maps – check em out and tell me what I should check out!

Columbus: #1 City for Single Women?!?!
You C-busers have likely already heard about the articles published last week stating that Columbus, Ohio is the #1 city in the US for single women, according to the website datingadvice.com.

Yes, you read that right – the #1 city for single women!  Say what?!  This was based on the number of available men, and that’s not per capita.. it’s the actual hard numbers.  I find it very hard to believe that there are not more than 137,281 single men in New York City or LA or Chicago.

As a single woman (well…until very recently…plus, maybe they mean single vs. married?) who has been dating in Columbus for years and years….all I can say is, if we’re #1, that paints a really dire picture of the rest of the US.  Now, I know that the “grass is always greener”, and that dating is challenging no matter where you live.  But I have a very hard time believing that this is really the best city for single women.  Really?!  The Midwest, where people get married at the ripe old age of 25?!  The city with one of the largest gay populations in the country?  Of course, the article doesn’t mention that probably half of those single men play for the other team.  Or are secretly married.

But O-HI-30 is all about viewing the glass as half full – so if you’re single in Columbus and you haven’t tried online dating, what are you waiting for?!  #1!

Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Green Tea / POM Wonderful
Couple shout-outs to some recent grocery finds!  Well, the first one isn’t so recent, but I’ve been drinking Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Green Tea like crazy now that it’s the season.  It’s like peppermint tea meets a York peppermint patty – actually, it’s like a candy cane!  Goes really well with all those cookies you’ll be enjoying in the office this month.

Second, at the grocery store yesterday I picked up this awesome container of pomegranate Arils.  What the heck are those, you ask?  They’re the little tiny seed-like goodies that make up a pomegranate.  I usually buy whole pomegranates this time of year and shell them myself, but it’s such a pain in the butt that I haven’t this year.  So when I saw this container on sale yesterday for just $2.50 – the same price as the whole fruit itself – I thought it was too good to be true!  Turns out, I think it was – it rang up as $4-something – but I asked the cashier about the discrepancy and she ended up giving it to me for free!  #youonlygetwhatyouaskfor  #score.

I enjoy them in salads or in my morning yogurt / oatmeal.  Try it!

The Best Tights
This one’s for the ladies – sorry gentlemen, please keep reading!  Now ladies, if you’re like most women, you’ve searched far and wide for the perfect pair of tights.  How many pairs do you have that are too tight, or too short, or itch, or fall down?  For me, the perfect pair of tights is easy to get on (not a lot of careful pulling and tugging), sits extra high on my waist (easily to the the belly-button), is smoothing but not suffocating, and is just the slightest bit sheer.  Enter these  Xhilaration Tights from Target!  At just $6 a pair ($5 last year), they are cheap enough that you won’t feel bad if they snag….but they rarely do!  I have lots of black pairs as well as a plain grey, charcoal gray, and two shades of purple.  The key to buying tights it to buy them a size up…or at least go big – I buy mine in Med/Tall (I think height goes up to 6’o” for that size) so that there is lots of extra room.  I also see that Target sells extra-long ones online – if you’re tall, maybe check those out too!

What are you randomly into these days?

O-HI-30 is six months old today!On May 18, 2014, my 30th birthday, I posted my first post to O-HI-30: my 30-before-30 list. It’s hard to believe that six months and 43 posts have passed since then.  This space has been more rewarding that I ever imagined. Yes, it’s provided me a creative outlet to share my experiences as a 30-something in Columbus, Ohio.  But it’s been so much more than that.  Through this space, I’ve felt connected to all of you in a way I didn’t know was possible; strangely enough, I’ve felt less lonely.  Something about putting words on the page (ahem, screen) has been cathartic in an unexpected way.

To honor this milestone, I thought I would do something I’ve been meaning to do for a while – get organized!  You’ll see that on the menu bar at the top of the page, I created some new pages to categorize my posts in a way that might be helpful for readers both new and old to locate posts on a specific topic(s).  I also promise that I will go back and categorize all of my posts – that’s just a larger undertaking 🙂  I invite you to check out the four new pages:  food, fitness, fellas, and fun to see some of my favorite posts all in one place.  My personal favorites are perhaps the most introspective: Rejection and Expect.  But I also love Sweat and Tofu (it’s not as scary as it looks!).

I hope that in these posts you have found something that speaks to you – whether it’s what to make for dinner tonight, how to navigate the online dating world, or that time I peed my pants during a triathlon – or some of the other 40+ posts over the past six months!

Thank you, reader, for making O-HI-30 a part of your day! Because let’s face it:  writing is enjoyable, but writing knowing that others are reading?  That’s what it’s all about!

Time for another Adventures post!

Halloween
Call me unAmerican, but Halloween is not my favorite Holiday.  As creative as I might appear at times in this space, don’t let me fool you – I’m not really creative.  At least not when it comes to things that require me to be crafty.  Words, maybe so, but don’t you dare ask me to sew or knit or make a wreath for my front door.  So, naturally, Halloween brings up all sorts of anxiety that I’d prefer to just avoid entirely.

Alas, I was invited to Halloween party this past Friday where I was told there would be “designers” present – aka, people with incredible costumes.  Blood pressure rising.   I couldn’t attend said party without a costume – who wants to be that person? – so I racked my brain.  What could I be that was a. somewhat clever b. not purchased at Party City for $50 c. somewhat meaningful and d. not slutty?  If I think about my favorite costumes from previous years, they include a massive pumpkin (hilarious) and political figures (Sarah Palin and Ann Romney – I have a thing for conservative women).  I debated re-creating my Kelly Kapowski costume from senior year of high school, but that would require multiple trips to Goodwill, and that just didn’t sound like fun.  Plus, who is Kelly without Zach?

I was lamenting about this to Matt, and he came up with a wonderful idea – “Why don’t you dress up as a crazy cat lady?!”.  I mean, I pretty much already am one – so much so, that my friend Cullen gave me a t-shirt that says “Ask me about my cat.”  With that shirt as the foundation of crazy cat lady’s costume, I set out to purchase some plush cats from Amazon, Velcro tape, and slippers – and this masterpiece was born:

What you can’t see is that my socks have cats on them (already owned, obviously) and that I have five cats attached to me – in the hood and pockets of my robe in addition to the ones you can see on my arm and head!  I also carried some jingly cat toys (again, already owned, obviously).  The costume, while not remotely sexy, was funny – and enough of a hit that I didn’t feel completely out of place, which of course is the goal at a Halloween party.  And I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the costumes at the party where in the same range as mine – and some were even more lame!   #winning.  360 days until I have to come up with another Halloween costume!

Side note – yes, that is a beer pong table in that picture.  #college

Cleveland
On Saturday, my friend Caitlin and I drove up to Cleveland to attend a “political gathering” of sorts with my parents and some of their like-minded friends.  In effort to keep this a mostly bipartisan space (with the exception of this post), I won’t get into the details of our evening.  But suffice it to say I’m glad we made the effort to attend – it was interesting to say the least.  The following morning, we joined my parents and their friends Riana and Frank on their version of Sunday Church – a walk around Cleveland!  We walked five miles (I ran some) along the lake in Edgewater Park and into Ohio City, where we ended up at Town Hall for brunch.

Town Hall is on W. 25th St. in Ohio City, one of the up-and-coming areas of Cleveland.  If I were living in Cleveland, I would probably live there (or maybe Tremont).  The West Side Market is located there, as well as a bunch of new restaurants and my beloved Mithcell’s Ice Cream (future post!).  After being seated at another restaurant, we got a call that our table at Town Hall was ready (10 minute wait instead of the 45 they quoted!), so being the Chait’s we promptly left our table (no drinks yet, don’t worry) and headed over to Town Hall.  And I’m glad we did – it lived up to my parent’s hype!

The place was packed with Browns fans (the game was on at one, and we won!), and the atmosphere was lively and cozy.  Check out the brunch menu (part of it):

I opted for the Eggwich, and was not disappointed!  The English Muffin was baked in house, elevating an otherwise fairly simple egg sandwich to a whole other level.

I was very impressed with Town Hall – and Cleveland, in general:)  Don’t worry, though – I’m not moving back any time soon 🙂

Vote! 

And, finally, I leave you with a picture of my voting location this morning.  I heart my polling location – it’s literally next door to my apartment building, so all I have to do is drop off my bags in the car, walk over, vote, and walk back to my parking lot to head to work.  There was no line today (suprise, suprise – although one formed behind me), so the whole experience took maybe seven minutes.  There is just something about voting in person on Election Day that I love – feels like I’m a part of something greater.  I love it even more when I have to wait an hour or two to vote for the President – Hillary 2016, baby!  (What was that I said earlier about bipartisanship?)

Did you vote?!  I certainly hope that O-HI-30 readers are the voting kind 😉

‘Til next time!

It’s the moment you’re all been waiting for:  Part IV of my series on online dating!  Before I get into that, I just have to take a moment to wish all the felines out there a Happy National Cat Day!  Take a moment to pet your cat, then read this post.

OK, now back to dating.  For those of you who are new to O-HI-30, I consider myself an expert in the subject of online dating.  What makes me an expert?  Oh, just five years of on-and-off experience (mostly on) with the four different dating sites shown in the Quantity vs. Quality graph below.  In Online: Part I,  I explain how I got into online dating to begin with and provide an overview of the market as I see it. In parts II and III I provide deeper insight into Tinder and OK Cupid, respectively.  In tonight’s post, I’ll discuss a dating site that most of you are likely unfamiliar with: JDate!

Why do I say that you’re probably unfamiliar with JDate?  Because it’s for Jews!  Yes, the “J” in “JDate” stands for Jewish.  As in, a dating site for Jewish Singles.  Think Christian Mingle or Farmers Only, except for Jews (and minus the commercials – the target audience is too small!). The need for JDate is real.  Jews make up less than 2% of the US population, which means that Jewish men make up less than 1%!  Combine that statistic with the very small population of Jews in the Midwest, and you can begin to understand the need for JDate.

Of course, the above implies that Jews actually care about meeting other Jews, which isn’t necessarily the case for everyone.  I, for one, am not at all committed to the idea of marrying a Jew, which is a darn good thing seeing as I’ve never dated one (and only kissed one, which is a very small percentage…).  Growing up on the West Side of Cleveland made me very comfortable being “the only kid in town without a Christmas tree”, and I guess that mentality has followed me into college and well after.  So needless to say, I know very few Jews.  I’d also consider myself a secular Jew – one that feels very culturally tied to the religion, but not religiously in the least.

That being said, I do care about raising my children Jewish – at least in some sense.  My parents impressed upon me how much easier it would be to raise children in a Jewish culture if I married a Jewish man.  That made sense to me, so a few years ago I set out to meet a Jew.  And what better way than JDate?  I wasn’t about to start attending synagogue, after all!

So for a small fee of just $40/month (much, much higher than other sites), join JDate I did.  Right off the bat, I knew this site was….different.  One of the very first questions they asked me – after my zip code – what whether I kept Kosher and to what extent.  Um, is “bacon-enthusiast” one of the choices?!   I was also asked what sect of Judisam I considered myself (again, is “bacon-enthusiast” an option?”), as well as my synagogue attending habits.  Looking back at my responses below, I clearly was delusional when I completed this profile – I haven’t been to Synagogue on the High Holy Days in years, and as I said before, I’m more culturally Jewish than Reform (although I was raised Reform).

On top of the above questions, JDate also asks you a number of other basic questions, like height, hair color, and oh, WEIGHT.  Yes, that’s right, I said WEIGHT.  Now, mind you, every other dating side on the planet asks you just to describe your body type – “slender”, “athletic and toned’, “about average”, “curvy”, etc.  But JDate?  No…JDate wants a NUMBER.  In my experience, most men think that all women weigh 110 pounds regardless of height or body type, so tell me, JDate – how does a number really help?  You don’t believe that my body style is “Athletic/Fit”?  You need a number?!  Also, note that I do not weigh 132 pounds – in fact, it’s more like 135, but when I told my mother this as I was filling out my profile, she said – and I quote – “Oh, Honey.  Put 130 pounds”.  Classic Jewish mother – and to think she converted!  Alas, I compromised with a nice 132.  Because I’m sure if I had put the truth, all 135 pounds who have sent men running in the other direction.

The rest of the questions are pretty standard, with the exception of “Ethnicity”.  It was a while ago, but I’m pretty sure I had to ask my Dad – are we “Sephardic or Ashkenazi?”

Once you get past their ridiculously expensive membership rate and their desire to know your weight, JDate really is a decent dating site – if all that you care about is meeting a Jew.  After that, the rest is just as much a mystery as any other dating site.  But I will say that in my limited experience with JDate, I did meet some higher quality men.  The first time I joined, I did it for a single month with the mission of going on as many dates as I could during my break between semesters of my MBA program.  During those one or two weeks, I went on three dates with three different JDaters.  I don’t need to tell you that none of those worked out, but I can tell you that in general, I found the men to be of pretty high quality.

But here’s the kicker:  there are NO MEN on JDate!  I don’t know why this surprises me (see population comment above).  By the time I do a little bit of narrowing down the search (and I’m much wider on JDate than Match.com), the search results in a whopping 50 or so men.  And before you say, “well, 50 is a lot!”, let me tell you – it’s NOT.  My Match.com search shows me at least 250+ men, and it’s far more picky.  Not to mention the fact that at least half of those 50 men have not been active in months (meaning they probably met someone or just don’t care to date right now).  And even worse, many of those men aren’t even current members of JDate – they let their membership expire (did I mention it’s expensive?), and yet JDate still leaves their profiles up available for searching.  So really, the number of eligible Jews is very very small.  Looking at the graph I created above, JDate should actually be so far down the Y axis (Quantity) that you can’t even see it – it’s way off the chart.

On top of these frustrating search characteristics, JDate is also one of the most annoying – dare I even say, unethical – sites I’ve ever come across as far as marketing practices go.  For example, multiple times a day I receieve emails that say, “We’d love to introduce you to xxxx” – basically, just another guy who I maybe match with.  Not one that emailed me, not even one that “flirted” with me – just another Jew on the site.  They’ll also send emails with teaser subject lines like, “You’ll want to see this one” – effective, but also very immature.  Just look at my Gmail account – JDate is to thank for well over 75% of the emails in my “social” folder (thank goodness Gmail invented that feature).  Overkill.

And the worst part?  They consider a “flirt”, which is basically the equivalent of a “wink” on Match.com or a “poke” on Facebook, to be an email.  If you’ve never done online dating this likely doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, but let me tell you – it is!  Earlier this month, JDate sent me their 1,000,000th email, informing me that I had “12 messages waiting for me” and that I should subscribe to read them.  Well, curiousity got the best of me, so I coughed up my $40 – only to find out that almost all of those messages were actually not messages at all – just lame “flirts” from men that live in Indiana – no message whatsoever.  I was so mad that I called the company to demand my money back, but was unsuccessful.  Needless to say, I made sure my account doesn’t automatically renew at the end of this month.

And this time around, unlike the time I joined a few years ago, I haven’t been on three dates – in fact, I’ve been on zero.  I sent three emails and heard back from zero.  I did get this one email from a real charmer, making me consider whether JDate should even be on the right side of the X-Axis (Quality):Say what?

In case you can’t tell, I’m not a fan of JDate right now.  Perhaps it’s just because Columbus is too small a market for JDate – I’m sure it’s a different story in NYC and other big metropolitan cities.  But if you live in NYC, who even needs JDate?  Half the men you meet are Jewish anyways!  It’s a good thing I don’t care much about marrying a Jew, because at this rate – I won’t be 🙂

Stay tuned for my final part in the Online series – my beloved Match.com!  Shalom, everyone!

Happy Monday, all!  How was your weekend?  I had an exceptionally good one – it just really felt like a weekend.  I spent Friday night at hot yoga followed by a glorious evening watching TV with Susan and falling asleep on the couch at 10:30 (things I shouldn’t admit to the world).  Saturday was spent being active in the morning, shopping with my dear friend Cullen who was visiting from Oberlin, and watching the Buckeyes play at Cait and Zane’s fall party (they projected the game outside on their garage – sweet!  The only fail was when satellite dish went out right as Penn State was throwing their first touchdown in OT – literally, as the ball was midair.  Luckily it came back to life just in time for us to win the game in 2OT!).  And Sunday included a run in the leaves and Northstar brunch with Cullen (big burrito, how I love you), Jeni’s ice cream (Dark Chocolate Peppermint!), lots of sunshine, a work dinner (not as painful as it sounds), and some more couch time.  That’s what I call a nice weekend!

Let’s talk about snacks, shall we?  First of all, the word “snack” just makes me happy – anyone else?  It sounds so fun, so peppy.  “Let’s have a snack!”  I’m a big believer in snacks.  Not being one to ever go hungry, on any given day I have at least one, if not two snacks – between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner.  The latter is almost always the bigger of the two, as it needs to bridge the gap between a 12-1 lunch and sometimes as late as an 8-9 dinner, with a workout in between.  The snack between breakfast and lunch, if I have one at all, is usually much smaller so as to not ruin my appetite.

As much as I enjoy the word “snack'”, snacks are considerably less enjoyable when they are forced to be consumed at your office desk or in the car instead of the comforts of your own home.  Having worked in an office for over seven years, I’d like to think I’ve become an expert in the subject.  And here’s the real kicker:  not once in those seven years have I ever eaten a snack out of the vending machine.  Yep, I said NOT ONCE.  You might be wondering, how is that possible for someone who eats at least one, if not two, snacks per day?  The secret, my friends, is simple – with just a little bit of planning, you, too, can forgo the processed, unsatisfying grip of the vending machine!

Avoiding the vending machine takes three things:  a well-stocked desk drawer (or in my case, drawer and shelf), a weekly stock up of the work refrigerator, and produce.  I always make sure my desk draw contains some mix of nuts, raisins, cereal, granola bars, crackers, and the like.  Fridge staples include cheese sticks and yogurt.  And I always bring an apple and if I’m lucky, some other fruit to add excitement to my otherwise boring routine.  And did I mention chocolate?  I ALWAYS have some chocolate on hand – whether it’s could-be-in-a-vending-machine candy for my candy bowl (how else will I trick co-workers into liking me?) or amazing chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s, I always make sure to have some on hand.  The serving is undoubtedly going to be smaller than what I would have grabbed from a vending machine, and it’s cheaper too.  Win-win.

Now, I’m not a nutritionist, and the snacks I’m about to show you probably don’t have the ideal ratio of fat / protein / carbs.  But they are relatively healthy and take little to no preparation, so they work for me!  Without further ado, I’ll introduce you to my favorite office snacks!

Between Breakfast and Lunch
Trader Joe’s light string cheese stick and cherries (this photo was taken in the summer, when cherries are cheap(er) and oh-so-tasty.

Peanuts-in-the-shell (salted, of course) and a sliced apple.  The peanuts are a new thing for me – big bags were on sale for $1 a while back so I bought two, and I’m still working my way through bag #1!  I like them in the shell because it takes some “work” and makes the snack last longer.  #foodie.  (side note: I really need to keep a plate at my desk).

When time is tight or I don’t have any produce, I reach for leftover bags of goodies from airport travel.  Yep, I’m that girl who hoards the peanuts / pretzels / whatever goodies I can get.  If I’m feeling really crazy, I’ll ask for extra!  And since I almost always order a Starbucks oatmeal when traveling, I have lots of these dried fruit bags.  I’m not a huge fan of them in my oatmeal (I stick with the nuts and brown sugar) and they make great snacks in a pinch!  Moral of the story – never turn down free food.

Between Lunch and Dinner
As I mentioned earlier, the snack between lunch and dinner is very important.  Take today, for example.  I ate lunch around 12:15 at my desk (leftover northstar burrito and some random accompaniments – was lazy and didn’t go to the grocery until tonight).  By 3:30 PM, I was quite hungry again (which I expected – lunch was on the small side), and I knew I wouldn’t be eating dinner till at least 9 – with teaching a spin class in between!  So a substaintial snack was completely necessary.  Enter Greek yogurt – Oikos is my fav sweetened brand, but I love plain Fage for breakfast (future post!).  I stirred in some peanuts (they were already shelled) and a small box of raisins for extra texture and staying power.  Yum!  I also ate an apple and cheese stick on my way to spin at 5:45 – was still a little hungry.

And last, and definitely least – granola bars.  In general, I dislike granola bars.  They are so boring!  I can think of so many great ways to consume 150+ calories that are far more exciting and fulfilling.  But the fact is, sometimes I’m in a time crunch or I need a portable snack, and granola bars fit the bill.  My general rule is to keep them under 160 calories.  There are plenty of 200+ calorie bars on the market, but I just don’t like to consume my calories in bar form, so I try to keep them to a minimum.  I also look for bars that aren’t full of a bunch of junk. Kashi, Z-Bar from Larabar (smaller kids version), and Cascadian Farm all make decent, clean bars.  Currently these peanut pretzel chewy bars are my fav – sweet and salty!

In the past, I’ve been a big fan of popcorn as a snack, but in the past year I haven’t been consuming as much.  I’ve been into eating fewer processed foods and more clean foods, and 100-calorie bags of popcorn with fake butter definitely to not classify as clean food. I make it at home in my air popper sometimes (just kernels, olive oil, and salt), but it’s not smelling up the office very often these days.

So there ya have it, folks – lots of ideas to help you avoid the office vending machine!  And don’t forget about my previous posts on Lunch and Dinner – breakfast is up next!

What are your go-to snacks?

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!

Happy Monday, everyone!  Before share the fun that was yesterday, I must tell you about two things that happened in my spin class tonight.  First, there were MORE MEN than women!  In fact, a 3:1 ratio (sadly, there were only 8 people total – I guess the rain scared everyone away?  Those of you who came and are reading – thank you!).  The ratio is almost always flipped – three women to one man.  But not tonight!  The boys just can’t stay away (or something like that).

Second, one of my best regulars, Ron, showed up to class with a CD.  At first I thought he was giving me some new music – as in, “Sarah, you need some new tunes.”  But much to my delight, it was quite the opposite – Ron (who just so happens to be the Franklin County Prosecutor) was asking me for a copy of the sweet playlist I made for Ashley’s marathon!   I’m not sure what makes me happier – that Ron wants my music to motivate him through his impressive athletic endeavors (he’s a triathlete and marathoner), or that he’s reading O-HI-30!  I think the latter wins out.  Ron – CD full of tunes coming your way!

OK, back to the title of this post!  Yesterday, I had the honor of cheering on the thousands of marathoners that ran past my apartment on their journey to conquer 26.2 miles.  The most important of whom was my dear friend Ashley!  It was a morning of firsts:  Ashley’s first marathon, her husband Johnny’s first half, Nash’s boyfriend Kyle’s first full, and our friends Ali and Brady’s first full (we also cheered on Kara – I think this was her third full?).  That’s a lot of friends tackling a lot of miles!

Nash Made These – Professional Sign Maker?

The morning started bright at early at 7 AM when Nash arrived at my apartment after dropping off Kyle and Kara at the start.  We both fell back asleep for a short while, and then began preparations for an epic marathon-watching party!  Mile 13.5 was directly outside my windows, and mile 25 was just one block away, so hosting a party was a no-brainer.  We stuck our egg casseroles in the oven, started some coffee, and waited for the first of the elite runners to run by – right around 8:40 AM, just over an hour into the race!  Wild.

Coffee + Chairs = Cheering

Over the course of the next hour, my parents, Karen, and some of their friends arrived, along with a bunch of Nash and my friends – we had quite the cheering section!  With coffee in hand, we cheered on the runners and waited for our friends to run by – which came up sooner than expected when Kyle headed the pack ahead of schedule!  Not far behind were Ali and Brady, then Kara, and then Ash!!

Jackie Hugging Ash at Mile 13.5!

Quick funny side story:  Ash told me that our friends Clint and Kelly were along the second half of the course, holding a sign with a HAIKU!  Clint is known in our group of friends for writing epic (read: dirty) haiku poems, and the marathon was no different:

Marathon Haiku
Go Run Like the Wind Ashley
Beat Up Them Street Guts!

Amazing.

With our friends well into the second half of the race, we all headed upstairs to refuel for our next round of cheering.  I’m a terrible blogger and didn’t take ANY photos yesterday (luckily, my Dad took a million), so I failed to capture a photo of the beautiful brunch spread.  So instead, I borrowed this photo and corresponding recipe from The Kitchn.  I made a few modifications, of course – I added some ground mustard, worcestershire, and hot sauce to the egg mixture for some extra flavor.  I also changed the veggies, subbing leeks instead of the sundried tomatoes, peppers, and onion.  It was very good!  Nash also made an egg casserole (sausage and mushroom) that was very good – domestic goddesses!  The eggs were served with bagels and cream cheese that my parents picked up on their way, fruit salad that Jackie made, lots of yummy desserts, and brunchy cocktails!  Not to mention lots of coffee – I learned that it’s difficult to keep up with coffee consumption when hosting brunch!

Photo Credit: The Kitchn

After warming up our bodies and our bellies, we all headed back out – but this time, we crossed the street and walked a mere block to mile 25 of the course!  Cheering at mile 25 was truly special.  You could tell that the runners really needed the extra boost that our large crowd provided.  My favorite was my Dad yelling “just 2 kilometers left!” – giving the runners something to contemplate (it was more like 1.8 kilometers left).

Quite the Cheering Squad

And in no time, our friends came around again – all looking exceptionally strong and happy!  I was almost brought to tears seeing Ash so close to her goal.  I know how long and hard she had worked to reach that point, and being there to cheer her through the last of it was really something special.

Almost There!

And then it was over!  Everyone finished all 26.2 miles in one piece (not to be taken for granted), feeling strong and healthy and happy to officially be able to call themselves marathoners!  I am so impressed and in awe by all of them.  No matter how athletic you are, a marathon is no joke – it takes a level of perseverance and dedication unseen in other aspects of life.  And not to mention, a body that doesn’t fall apartment after half of a half-marathon!

A huge congratulations to Ashley, Johnny, Kyle, Kara, Ali, Brady, and all of the other runners out there yesterday!  I’m honored to have been a part of your experience.

Who’s running next year?!

My dear friend Ash is running her first full Marathon (she’s run two halves, which is basically the same thing, right?) this Sunday in the Columbus Marathon.  I’m so proud of all the work she’s done to get to this point – many many Saturdays of 5:30 AM wakeup calls to run the distance with Marathon in Training (MIT), and many many “shorter” runs in between.  Now that the big day is almost here, I wanted to contribute to her success in the best way I know how (besides cheering her on, of course) – with a kickass playlist!

Johnny, Ash and I at a Much Shorter Race

As a spin instructor, I believe music can make or break a workout.  The right playlist can make a workout fly by, make you work harder, faster, and just make you feel good.  While music isn’t as critical to a good run as it is a spin class, I’m not one of those runners who just enjoys the nature around me – unless I’m running with a friend, I always listen to music to push me through those (three or four) miles.  Ash is the same way, and so while there will be tons of live entertainment throughout the marathon course, she’s bringing along her own tunes to push her through those 26.2 miles.  She has about 3 hours worth of music already prepared, so I thought I’d give her a boost during those last handful of miles (no doubt, the toughest ones) with a 1.5 hour playlist created just for her.

Since I know a lot of you are runners (or faithful elliptical users – you know who you are), I thought it would be fun to share the playlist.  Perhaps you’ll be inspired by a song or two!  I, for one, will definitely be listening to this playlist the next time I hit the pavement – I just won’t need all 1.5 hours worth 🙂

So without further ado, I give you the “Ash – Marathon” playlist!

Ash isn’t quite as big a fan of 90’s hip-hop as I am, so I tried my best to limit it in this playlist.   I also recently learned that she has a “thing” for Pitbull (that was a fun night!), so I downloaded his latest and played it in my Spin class this past Monday – might as well get my $1.29 worth!  The LaBouche songs are to pay homage to my first half-marathon back in 2006 – whenever I hear “Be My Lover” I think of turning the corner into German Village at mile 9 of the course and it gives me goosebumps!  “All I Do Is Win” was Ashley and Johnny’s wedding song (not that wedding song, but their reception entrance song).  And “Call Me Maybe”?  That needs no explanation.

Ash isn’t my only friend running the race – her husband Johnny is running his first half and Nash’s boyfriend Kyle is running his first full, just to name a few!  My apartment is right along the course at mile 13.5, and then just one block away is mile 25,  so I’m hosting a marathon-watching brunch party.  What’s better than cheering on friends who are running while drinking hot coffee and bloody marys and eating breakfast casserole?

I’ll be back with a full recap after what is shaping up to be a very busy and fun weekend.  Good luck to all the runners – especially you, Ashley!!!

Hello, everyone!  I hope this post finds you well-rested after the weekend.  Mine was spent at my parents’ home in Cleveland, and it was so nice as always.  I’m a terrible blogger and failed to take any photos, so I can’t share a weekend in the life of the Chait’s (future post).  Suffice it to say, you would be jealous: sitting around the kitchen drinking wine while my mom cooks a fabulous dinner, working out and eating ice cream with my dad, shopping with my mom and Lawre (my Mom’s dear friend), apple picking, sleeping.  Sometimes, a girl just needs her parents and her home – even after 30 years of life!

I took this photo of Lake Erie while on a run Sunday morning.  Growing up just 1/4 mile from the lake, I took for granted its beauty and openness.  It took moving to Columbus for me to really appreciate a view like this:

Just Your Average Run

One of the things I almost always do when I go home is shop at TJ’s.  Trader Joes, that is – not TJ Maxx, although I always shop there!  Although there are two TJ’s in Columbus, neither location is convenient for me, and there is one just five minutes from my parent’s house.  So it just makes sense to stock up while I’m home.  I started shopping at TJ’s right around the time I moved into my first apartment after college.  Jackie and I would often go together, and in the event that one person couldn’t make it, we’d always ask the other person if she needed anything.  Because a trip to TJ’s is not just an average trip to the grocery store – it deserves special attention.

I view Trader Joe’s as a supplement to my traditional supermarket – Giant Eagle or Kroger.  In part because it’s too far to visit weekly, but mostly because it’s just a bit too small to take the place of the traditional supermarket entirely.  But what it lacks in size it makes up for in value.  TJ’s offers mainly private label brands, and in my mind, the Trader Joe’s brand is synonymous with unique, tasty, and affordable.

TJ’s is famous for their pre-made meals and meal starters, and while I can understand the appeal of those, I prefer to look a little deeper.  As you can tell from some of my previous posts, most recently “Tofu“, I use a lot of TJ’s products in my cooking and day-to-day eating.  It’s convenient and cheap, and since I do a massive stock-up trip about once every month or two, I usually have my favorite items on hand.  Anyone who shops regularly at TJ’s has their favorites – the items they buy over and over.  So I thought it would be fun to share my favorites – more specifically, what I purchased yesterday at my “stock-up” trip.  Perhaps it will inspire you to give TJ’s a visit (like you, Tina!), or if you’re already a regular, try a new item or two.

Perishables

Clockwise from top left:

• Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt:  Sure, I like flavored greek yogurt, but plain is perfect for breakfast with cereal and fruit.  And Fage is the best – fluffy and decadent, even in non-fat!
• Crumbled Blue Cheese
• Light String Cheese
• Caramelized Onion Cheddar Cheese:  OMG
• Shredded Cheese:  Light Mexican blend (for enchiladas) and pepper jack
• Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola Salad Dressing: The little pieces of walnuts are awesome
• Eggs:  Love that they are packaged in cardboard, not styrofoam
• Greens:  Butter and spinach
• 96% Lean Ground Beef:  I always have at least one or two in the freezer for making meatballs
• Chicken Breasts (for enchiladas)
• Frozen Peas
• Tofu!

Non-Perishables and Shelf-Stable Produce
Clockwise from top left:

• Crunchy, Unsalted Peanut Butter:  So Good, and So Cheap.  Boasts a remarkably simple ingredient list:  peanuts.  Two jars for me, one for my co-worker Brenda (Hi, Brenda!) – she doesn’t live near a TJ’s so I always pick her up a jar when I go
• Coffee:  I like their organic breakfast blend
• Flowers!  Jackie and I used to buy them for each other all the time – us single gals gotta look out for each other.  Cheap (those were $3.99) and brings a smile to my face when I walk in the door.  Who needs a man?
• Baby Bell Peppers
• Thai Curry Sauce
• Enchilada Sauce
• Salsa Verde
• Sweet Onion
• Garlic
• Bananas
• Red Pepper (for enchiladas)
• Avocados
• Chocolate Chip Almond Oatmeal Cookies (a first-time purchase.  I usually by the crispy oatmeal chocolate chip, but sometimes a girl’s gotta mix it up)
• Handmade Tortillas (for enchiladas)
• Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts:  THE BEST

So what’s the damage for all of the above?  Just over $100.  Not bad considering I bought lots of cheese (usually very expensive), some meat, coffee, and flowers!  Oh, and that last chocolate bar listed?  Yea, that might have been almost $5.  #worthit

Not purchased yesterday, but worth mentioning:

• Chicken Sausage:  I always have some in my freezer
• Frozen Organic Brown Rice (Microwavable)
• Cereal:  Puffins, High Fiber, Crunchy Oats are my favorites
• Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal (they claim it’s natural)
• Flavor Boosters:  oils (olive and coconut), capers, kalamata olives
• Nuts:  So much cheaper than the regular store.  I keep mine in the freezer as they’ll last forever that way
• Frozen Fruit / Veg: I like the Berry Cherry Blend for smoothies and Frozen Broccoli (not for smoothies)
• Roasted Root Vegetable Chips:  Betcha can’t eat just one
• Mac & Cheese
• Canned Soup
• The List Goes On

Note that one area that I think TJ’s lacks in is their produce selection.  It tends to be small and a bit on the pricey side.  It also isn’t very “green” – unnecessary packaging and ships from who-knows-where.  But on weeks when I visit TJ’s, like this one, I typically by my produce there so I don’t have to make multiple grocery trips – hence the lettuce, peppers, etc.

And in case you need further proof that I really do use TJ’s products in my cooking, here are last night’s enchiladas (and tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s lunch and on-and-on…I made TEN!):

So there you have it, folks – my Trader Joe’s secrets.  So tell me – what are some of yours?

When I told a friend that I was thinking about writing a post about rejection, his reaction was quick and strong – “don’t”.  My mother’s reaction was similar – “maybe not, honey”.  Let’s face it – no one wants to talk about rejection.  It makes us cringe, lower our heads, and turn the other way.  But these reactions only make me want to write about the topic more.  Because the fact is, we all know what it feels like to be rejected – and to reject someone else – and while it’s unpleasant at best, it’s a very real part of life.  And here at O-HI-30, I’m all about “keepin’ it real”.  So let’s talk about rejection, shall we?

Lest you think I’m going to launch into a rant about all the men that have rejected me over my 30 years of existence, I’m not.  Well, maybe just some of them!  But before I get into that, I think it’s important to understand that rejection is not limited to dating.  It’s something we all experience in many aspects of our lives, starting with our earliest years.  Maybe we weren’t invited to a sleepover as an 8-year-old or to the dance as a 16-year old.  Or maybe we were the last to be picked for volleyball in gym class (true story), or had no one to sit with at lunch.  Or maybe we didn’t get accepted by our college of choice, or asked back for a second-round interview, or promoted to the next level at work.

The fact is, rejection is something that we experience over and over throughout our lives, in various shapes and sizes.  So in my mind, the question isn’t “how do we ensure we don’t get rejected?”, but instead, “how do we deal with rejection when it does occur?”  The former puts the onus on others and implies that we can control their actions, while the latter puts the ball in our court and challenges us to take responsibility for our own behavior.  Of course, doing so isn’t always easy – especially when it comes to dating.

Let me give it to you straight: dating can be a real b*tch.  It’s not for the faint of heart. You can go on what you thought was a great date with someone, only to never hear from them again.  Or someone you’ve been seeing decides they’re no longer into you, or that someone else strikes their fancy more than you do.  Texts are ignored, voicemails go unanswered, emails are left hanging.  Left-swipes are made on Tinder.  As Drew Barrymore laments in one of my favorite movies, He’s Just Not That Into You,

“I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work, and so I called him at home, and he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting”.

I empathize with Drew’s plight.  I, for one, really do put myself out there – those of you who know me know that I’m hardly a girl who hides in her house and then wonders why she hasn’t met someone.  On the contrary, I’m really “out there” – I ask men out on napkins, I strike up conversations with boys at the gym, I encourage people to set me up with their cousin’s cousin.  I belong to multiple dating sites, and lest you think I wait around for the cute guys to email me, oh no!  On the contrary, I send emails all the time – most of which go unanswered, sometimes at an alarmingly high rate.  Just recently, I received a response to a match.com email I had written over a week prior.  I got excited, thinking that finally someone had written me back – only to discover this:

Yea, I didn’t need a canned email to realize you’re not interested – not responding was rejection enough.  Thanks.

To be fair, I’ve rejected my fair share of men.  Probably more than have rejected me.  I fully understand it’s a two-way street.  But knowing this fact doesn’t make it any easier when you find yourself on the receiving side of “I’m just not that into you”.  Friends will offer condolences like, “his loss” and “he wasn’t the right guy for you”, all of which might be true.  But it still doesn’t change the brutal reality that It Didn’t Work Out, and It Wasn’t Your Choice.

When you put yourself out there, you run the risk of it not working out – of being rejected.  It’s far easier to not date much, or at all.  For if you don’t go on dates, or even try to go on dates, then you don’t get rejected.  Plenty of people operate this way, and it usually works out for them.  They meet someone anyway – through a friend of a friend, or in their first month of an online dating subscription, or in grad school, and things just work out – without a whole lot of rejection in the process.  Could I operate this way?  Sure I could – and I’d probably end up meeting the man of my dreams all the same.

But here’s the thing: it’s just not in my nature to let go of the reigns.  And so while it would be so much easier to just sit back and relax, I simply cannot do that.  I keep sending match.com emails, I keep chatting up men, I keep asking friends of friends to set me up with random strangers.  And – I keep getting rejected.  Not all of the time, sure, but when you’ve been dating as long as I have, it sure feels that way sometimes.  But the fact remains, I just don’t know how to live my life any other way.

No matter your age or circumstance, rejection is a part of life.  It never gets easy, but it does get easier. All you can do is kick that dirt off your shoulder, hold your head high, and keep on keepin’ on.