A few weeks ago over Pad Thai and Tofu Curry, my dear friend Ash was complaining about the dire state of her packed lunches.  Dr. Ash works long, busy shifts as a Primary Care physician and doesn’t have the luxury of taking a leisurely hour lunch.  If she wants to eat lunch (and duh, who skips meals?!), then she has to bring it with her.  Day after day, she eats a salad so boring it brings her to tears, and night after night, she stares into her fridge and begrudgingly makes the next day’s boring salad.

Perhaps one of the most dreadful aspects of working a 9-5 (ok, 8-6) job is the packed lunch.  Let’s face it:  there is nothing more boring than eating the same turkey sandwich and carrots day after day.  Even more dreadful is the act of assembling that packed lunch.  Ziploc baggies, plastic containers, aluminum foil – it’s enough to turn away even the most passionate of cooks.

Too. Many. Containers.

But before you say “the hell with it” and pay $10 for an overpriced and lackluster Panera You-Pick-Two lunch or, in the case of Dr. Ash and her non-existent lunch hour, starve, hear me out:  there IS life outside of the boring brown bag (BBB) lunch!

For two of the 2.5 years I was in grad school, I packed both my lunch (for work) and dinner (for class) religiously.  I didn’t have time to pick up food on my way to class – it was stressful enough just getting there on time.  And while I did go out for lunch a day or two a week, it still added up to packing multiple meals a week.  I eventually wised up and realized that if I left work a mere ten minutes before five, I’d have time not only to pick up takeout for dinner, but also have a drink with my classmates before class got underway at six (which, while fun at the time, makes for a long lecture).  But in those first two years of school, I became an expert on the packed lunch (and dinner).  So how did I manage to stay (mostly) out of a food rut?  By thinking outside of the BBB!

Leftovers
My #1 suggestion for getting out of the BBB rut?  Turn the heat up!  Most people have access to a microwave at lunch – use it!  Rather than cooking one meal for dinner and another for lunch, keep it simple and make an extra serving or two of dinner.  Since I live alone, that’s easy for me – I just make two (or three or four) servings of whatever I’m making.  Then I pack up the leftovers and eat them as lunches or quick dinners throughout the week.  You might think that sounds boring, but if the meal was good I guarantee you’ll be happy to eat it again.

For example, on Sunday night I used the giant zucchini from this post in spaghetti and meatballs.  You’ve seen from this post that I always have homemade frozen meatballs on hand, so I simply heated them up in some jarred sauce, sauteed the zucchini strips with some garlic & onions, and added some spaghetti.  The zucchini added some bulk so I didn’t need a ton of pasta to make two big servings.  Secret:  add some capers and kalamata olives to your sauce, as well as some red pepper flakes – takes it to a whole new level!

I wanted some extra veg, so I served the pasta with a simple salad of greens, pre-shredded carrots (worth the extra $), grape tomatoes, and green onion.  One salad and one pasta (and parm cheese!) went into plastic containers for lunch the next day:

So next time you make dinner, make lunch too!  Most things reheat well – pasta, enchiladas, stir-fry, even eggs, like this frittata that I made last month and ate for four meals!

Non-Lettuce Salads
Dr. Ash told me that she eats salads for lunch because she feels like it’s the only good way to consume veggies.  The key to staying out of a salad rut is to expand your horizons.  Who says that the only way to eat a salad is with a lettuce base?  I challenge you to think outside the bagged pre-washed greens.  Things like beans, lentils, and quiona (although i don’t care for it) all make great bases for veggies, cheese, nuts, and dressing.  Or if you want to stay light, try some broccoli slaw instead of lettuce.  It’s crunchy and different – I like mine with some canned tuna, corn, tomatoes, blue cheese, and TJ’s cliantro dressing.  And in the case you do make a lettuce salad – for goodness sake, make it interesting!  The one below is from a school night, and includes some fabulous baked tofu (I heart tofu), homemade croutons, and fancy cheese in addition to lots of veggies.  Boring?  I think not!

Un-Boring Sandwiches
It’s worth noting that I don’t consider all sandwiches to fall in the “BBB” category.  On the contrary, I pack a turkey sandwich for work almost every week.  The key is to make it “fancy” – I spread avocado and special mustard on mine, add a slice of pepperjack, and make sure the bread it high-quality.  None of that bread aisle crap – buy bread from the bakery section of the grocery store, or better yet, a real bakery.  Or use a bun or chibatta roll or pita pocket.  Serve your un-boring sandwich with a few of your fav crunchy snack (TJ’s roasted veggie chips or Utz pretzels for me) and some of those baby peppers and carrots and you’ve got a meal.

Soup
I love making giant pots of soup.  It’s the antithesis to baking – you don’t have to measure anything, you can add whatever, omit whatever.  As soon as the first cool breeze hits (but not this July one), you can find me over a giant pot on the stove.  My favorites are my Great Aunt’s chili and old-fashioned veg soup (think lima beans and barley).  When I make soup, I make a giant pot and ladle it into plastic containers that I then freeze and eat throughout the fall and winter – and spring and summer.  In fact, tonight I defrosted my very last container of soup:  some white bean, pasta, and kale concoction I made this past winter.  I could have just as easily taken it to work and served it with some cheese and crackers.  The lesson here?  Soup = lots of at-the-ready meals.

Snack Plates
What is a snack plate, you ask?  When I’m really feeling lazy and don’t feel like making a sandwich, I’ll stick the components of one in a plastic container.  Think turkey, sliced cheese, avocado, mustard.  I’ll bring sides of carrots/cucumbers/peppers for dipping in some hummus and some crackers, too.  It’s fun to eat and is much more filling than you’d expect.

So there you have it – five ways to get out of your BBB rut!   You’ll make your belly happy and your co-workers jealous at the same time.

What are your favorite un-BBB lunches?

Time for another Adventures post!

The Crest
On Wednesday evening, Karen and I went to a relatively new restaurant in Clintonville called The Crest.  The Crest is a gastropub.  What is a gastropub, you ask?  Good question.  But they’ve been popping up everywhere, and I, for one, am happy about it.  The O-HI-30 definition of a gastropub is “elevated American / bar food” – think burgers, FRIES, interesting salads, bacon wrapped dates – that kind of thing.  And oh, yea, really good craft beer, wine, and some fancy overpriced cocktails.  Basically – my ideal kind of restaurant.  I’ve dined at The Crest just once before, on a cold rainy Sunday night when I was 120% stressed about school.  I enjoyed it then, but this time – I was in love.

One of the downsides of The Crest is their no reservation policy.  No reservations + popularity = 45+ min wait on a Wednesday night.  By the time we were seated, we were starving and quickly put in an order for two draft beers (some Fat Head pilsner – NE Ohio love!) and the most amazing appetizer ever:  Cauliflower Gratin.  Gratin is code for baked cheesy goodness (another professional O-HI-30 definition), typically potato style.  But in true gastropub style, this was elevated to new heights with the use of Cauliflower.  It was served in a mini cast iron skillet (adorable) with some tasty bread for dipping:

Cheesy Goodness

I wasn’t really in the mood for a burger, but I was in the mood for fries (duh).  I also felt like a salad.  So I decided to order three sides for my meal:  a beet and goat cheese salad, Zaatar fries, and – wait for it – a side of mac & cheese!   Apparently I felt that I needed more baked cheese.  As is typically the case when starving, I over-ordered and then proceeded to overeat the first set of cheesy goodness, so by the time my dinner came, I was already pretty full.  #champagne problems.  So I took almost all of the mac & cheese home, which made a great Saturday afternoon lunch.  Karen ordered a burger, which she said was good but we both agreed that the bun was lame and would not meet my mother’s bun standards (“a boring bun”).

Side x 3 = Meal

Upon first bite, the beet salad was heaven.  But as I continued to eat, it became a bit too much.  Too vingery or something.  I liked it, but I didn’t finish it.  I also was expecting it to be more of a green salad with beets instead of a beet salad with a few greens, although it was beautiful.  The fries, of course, were amazing.  They were tossed in Zaatar seasoning, which is kind of like a cajun spice blend.  Karen’s sweet potato fries were also good.  And the mac & cheese was perhaps not anything to write home about, but I liked it – also served in an adorable cast iron skillet!

The service was superb (which is more than can be said for the service at Bareburger last night 😦 ), the food was great, and the atmosphere was lively.  I’m already planning my return visit post-triathlon in two weeks!

Triathlon:  T-2 Weeks!
As you might recall from this post, I had a bike accident two weeks ago when riding the trail.  It took some time, but I’m finally starting to feel better.  I really pulled my pectoral muscle, and it hurt so much Dr. Ash convinced me to get an x-ray – just to set expectations (there isn’t much that can be done for a cracked rib).  So that I did on Wednesday, and happily it came back clear.  Maybe it’s the placebo effect, but I started feeling better on Thursday and it’s much better now.  I still can’t hold a plank position for more than a few seconds, so I won’t be going back to my personal trainer quite yet, but I’m very happy I didn’t do any real damage and that it’s finally feeling better.

Now that the physical discomfort is pretty much gone, it was time to tackle the mental discomfort – getting back on the bike.  More specifically, riding the turns that have landed me on my butt twice in the past two years!  I’m what you’d call a nervous biker – I’m much more comfortable on my two feet, and even then I’m not 100%.  But I knew I needed to get back on the saddle, and soon – my Olympic Tri is just two weeks away!

So get back on the saddle I did!  This morning, my friend Matt and I hit the trail for a 25+ mile out-and-back ride.  He set the pace, I attempted to keep up, and we rode to the most northern part of the trail – a personal distance best for me.  While I was nervous every single turn, I didn’t fall, and felt surprisingly good.  Thanks, Matt, for a great ride!

Hardcore Cyclists

Cleveland
Quick shout-out to my hometown Cleveland, Ohio!  In case you haven’t heard, it was a big week for Cleveland.  First, the announcement that the blue-collar, largely democratic city beat out Dallas, TX to be the host of the 2016 Republican National Convention.  A very interesting move by the red party, indeed.  My parents will either need to leave town that weekend, or I’ll need to drive up to picket.  I’m leaning towards the latter.  And then, LBJ (no, not Lyndon B. Johnson) announced (in much better form than the last time) his Decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Two things I’ve learned from this:  A.  People have short memories when it serves their best interest and B. People mature.

Eating Out
Lately, I’ve been eating out.  A lot.  I haven’t been in much of a cooking mood for quite some time now.  I blame it partially on grad school – I was majorly burnt out on packing lunch and dinner when I finally gave up on that in the last nine months of school.  But I’ve now been out of school for more than six months, and it’s time to get back in the cooking groove.  If not for the fact that I might actually enjoy it, then for the fact that both my money supply and vegetable consumption are dwindling.

So on that note, I’m going to cook some dinner now – which will double as a packed lunch tomorrow.  Matt gave me an extremely large zucchini from his garden, so that will play at least a supporting role in this meal.  Stay tuned for what that meal is – and my tips for getting out of a packed lunch rut!

A Large Zucchini.

This Fourth-of-July weekend I celebrated the wedding of a longtime friend, Jared, and his new wife Jen.  Just a year apart in age, I grew up with Jared and his three siblings on Glen Park Dr.  Although our days of kickball and mario kart are distant memories now, our parents have remained dear friends, and it was quite an honor to see Jared all grown-up in his wedding tux.  Congratulations, J & J!

Neighborhood Friends – All Grown Up

And with that, I’ll transition to the opposite end of the love spectrum.  Two weeks ago I wrote the first post in a series dedicated to my experiences in online dating.  In case you missed it (but how could you?), in Online: Part I I discussed the reasons behind why I decided to join the delightful world of online dating world five years ago.  I also shared the below graph of the online marketplace as I’ve experienced it, which can be summed up in one simple relationship:  Quantity vs. Quality.

I’m guessing many of you aren’t as intimately familiar with the online marketplace as I am, so I wanted to take a post (or four) to introduce you to the four dating sites I’ve used:  Tinder, OKCupid, JDate, and Match.com.  I’ll start with Tinder, as it is the latest dating (if you can call it that) craze and the one I’ve used most recently.  Tinder is actually not an online dating website but a dating “app” for your phone.  The premise is simple:  Tinder will show you guys (or girls) that are within a certain radius of you at any given time.  You are presented with these men one at a time, and are asked to “swipe right” if you are interested and left if you are not.  If both you and the guy swipe right, then you are “matched” and can begin chatting through the app – very similar to texting.  If either one of you swipes left, then you are not matched and you can’t talk through the app.  Think of it as “hot or not”, and both parties have to say “hot” or it’s a no-go.

Make sense?  To start “Tinder-ing”, one simply downloads the app and links it up to one’s Facebook account.  You then select a profile picture and a few supporting pics, and you’re off and running (or should I say, “swiping”).  Simple as that.  No lengthy set of profile questions to answer, no hours spent agonizing over your “self-summary”.   You can write a few sentences about yourself to give the swiper something to ask you about should you become a match, but that’s not necessary.  I, for one, have nothing written on my profile – just a picture of my smiling self.  It seems to be quite effective – I have a 95% match rate!  (don’t worry, I’m not so popular on match.com – more on that later).

My Tinder Profile!

From my perspective, Tinder’s unique value proposition – what makes it different from all other dating sites and apps (that MBA is paying off already) can be boiled down to two things:

1.  Attraction:  By cutting out the lengthy profile associated with other dating sites, Tinder gets to the heart of dating right off the bat:  attraction.  “Am I attracted to this person?” is the first, and only, question asked on Tinder.  The rest is up to you.  Yes, traditional dating sites have photos, but they also have copious amounts of text in effort to convince you that looks aren’t the only thing that matter.  And of course, they aren’t.  But Tinder is betting on the fact that for most singles, attraction is pretty darn important.  At the very least, it’s a way to screen potential mates (or potential one-night stands, as the case may be for some).

2. Mutual Interest:  The second feature that makes Tinder unique is the concept of  mutual interest.  Anyone who has spent more than an hour on a dating site knows that 99% of the attention one receives is unwanted – creepy emails from creepy guys.  And it goes both ways – I’ve spent precious hours crafting clever email messages to guys only to have them ignored.  On Tinder, however, all it takes is a swipe of a finger to know if someone is interested in you or not.  And if you both swipe right and are “matched”, then only then can you start talking – cutting right to the chase.

Reading so far, you might think Tinder is the greatest thing since MTV’s “Singled Out”.  It’s fun, straight-forward, and effortless.  But Tinder isn’t all swipes and roses.  You see, the very things that make Tinder unique are also what makes it very flaky.  Tinder is fun – what isn’t fun about swiping through a never-ending series of men and deciding whether they are hot-or-not?  But because it’s so fun, it’s not taken seriously.  I’d say 50% (at least) of the matches on my phone were made by people other than myself.  Most often married friends that get a kick out of Tindering.  What could be more fun as a happy couple than reveling in the single-status of your friends?  Thus, I pay very little (if any) attention to my matches and ignore most of the chats that come through.  Especially if those matches were made by friends who think it’s hilarious to right-swipe on guys like this charmer below (you know who you are).  Those same friends also think it’s hilarious to send these guys messages such as “want to make out?”.  Good friends I have.

Swipe Left.

It goes both ways.  I’ve also received messages from guys like, “want to make out in my car tonight?” (this was at 2PM on a Thursday), and most recently, something very Rated-R:  “did you know there are only 5 people capable of whistling while performing cunnilingus and I’m 3 of them?”  Yep.  That Happened.

To further complicate things, Tinder is all about having the right timing.  If you swipe right on someone who might not swipe right on you til much later, it’s easy to forget about that match and move on to someone else.  And because it’s high-volume, with lots of swipes and lots of matches in a short period of time, it’s easy to forget about someone.  Tinder is based on the “here-and-now” concept – two people both in the right frame of mind at the same time – and it doesn’t work so well when that’s not the case.  It’s also notoriously casual – people just looking for a one-night stand, not a relationship.

That being said, I’ve been on a few Tinder dates that are just as normal as any other date.  I’ve also known people to have long-term relationships with people they’ve met on Tinder.  After all, once you “match”, what difference does it make how you met?  You’re still just two people looking for a connection.  My advice to anyone who is thinking about joining Tinder is to not take it too seriously.  Swipe, give your phone to your friends to swipe, laugh, and chat up a few guys.  Maybe it’ll lead to something, maybe it won’t.  But one thing is for sure – you’ll definitely have fun!

Start Swiping!

When I started this blog, I made a decision that I was not going to discuss politics on this space. Well, 6 weeks and ten (!) posts later, I’m already going back on that decision – sort of.

As I hope you have heard by now, on Monday The Supremes (as my favorite daily news publication, The Skimm, calls the highest court in the land) ruled 5-4 that the government cannot force corporations to cover employees’ birth control.  The ruling was in favor of Hobby Lobby, who argued that the Affordable Care Act’s birth control requirement violated their rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a 1993 law that says the government must not “substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion.”  The dissent, lead by justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, argued that corporations are not people and thus not covered by the RFRA.  If you need a bit of a refresher, this article does a good job of summing up the ruling.

Photo Credit: Time.com

After two days of stewing about this ruling and debating whether I should post about it, I decided that yes, indeed, I should.  Because this is not a political issue.  This is a human rights issue.  An issue that goes to the root of our what makes America great.  It’s an everyone issue.  And everyone, no matter what side of the aisle you fall on, should be paying attention.

Although I’m my father’s daughter in many aspects, I haven’t yet reached his level of blind liberalism (but I’m sure I’ll get there) and wanted to understand where the majority was coming from.  It’s worth repeating that I am not a lawyer, nor a political activist, nor anything that even remotely resembles an expert on the topic.  But I think I’ve gathered enough information to share a little bit of what makes me so angry about this ruling.  So share I will.

When issuing their opinion, the majority was specific in who this ruling applied to – “closely-held for-profit corporations”, ones with 50% or more ownership by 5 or fewer people.  So yes, most for-profit public corporations aren’t affected by this ruling.  But “closely” isn’t equivalent to “small”.  Dell, for example, would fall under this law, as would Toys-R-Us and Mars candy, to name a few.  Don’t be fooled – while this ruling may not directly impact YOU, it does affect millions of Americans.

It’s also worth noting that the ruling does not apply to all forms of birth control, just those that Hobby Lobby took issue with – those that they believe cause abortions, like the IUD and Plan B.  The problem is, that ruling now sets precedence for all similar rulings in the lower courts, opening the flood gates.  For example, perhaps the owners of another corporation decide that all forms of birth control are not in accordance with their religious beliefs.  Then are they not required to offer any form of birth control under insurance?  And what about a corporation who’s owners don’t believe in organ donation, or blood transfusions, or vaccinations as part of their religious beliefs?  Where is the line drawn?

While I do believe that this ruling is an attack on women and puts us one step closer to where we once were, my biggest concern is not about the birth control itself.  It’s about the fact that we are treating corporations as people – and corporations are most definitely not people.  Why should the religious beliefs of a corporation’s owners trump the beliefs of the thousands of people that work for them?  And where does it stop?  What if a corporation decides that it is against their religious convictions to hire Jewish people, or women?  Sounds crazy, but it doesn’t’ seem that far off.  By ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court has created a very scary loophole, and one that threatens individual freedoms.  As Justice Ginsberg so eloquently put it, “the court, I fear, has ventured into a minefield”.

I’ve barely scratched the surface here.  There are still significant issues to be discussed, like the high cost of birth control, or the fact that an employer can now interfere with the medical decisions between a patient and physician.  Or the blatant hypocrisy of a company like Hobby Lobby touting their religious beliefs while at the same time manufacturing in China and investing in companies that make birth control.  The list goes on.

If you’ve gotten this far, I hope, at a minimum, I’ve got you thinking (if you weren’t already).  Maybe you’re even ANGRY. Not at me, of course (although that’s possible too), but at our Justice System and the High Court that rules it.  At our sad state of affairs that even in 2014, some women still can’t obtain affordable birth control.  And at the number of people that don’t appear to be paying any attention at all.

I’m Angry.  Are You?

Happy Comfest weekend, all!  I hope you had a good one.  Mine ended a bit on the rough side – I took my first fall since I learned to clip-in on my bike last summer.  I was riding on the trail with my friend Matt this afternoon.  We were about 12 miles into our ride, the furthest out I have been on the trail and almost to our turn-around point.  The trail was windy (as in lots of turns, not wind) and muddy, and I took a turn took quick (or maybe braked too quick), and BOOM, I was down.  Luckily, I avoided any serious damage – my shoes did clip out of the bike and I landed on my right side.  My brand-new tri-suit took a muddy beating, as did my right arm.  I have minor cuts and some significant bruises that I think will show their ugly faces bigtime this week, and I pulled a muscle in my chest.  But all in all, I came away relatively unscathed, and very grateful that it wasn’t worse.  I was able to ride the full 12 miles home and I have plenty of time (4 weeks!) to bounce back before my big-bad Olympic Triathlon.  For now – ice and heating pad are the name of the game!  I should have asked Matt to take a photo of my beat up self (#rookieblogger), so I’ll leave this topic with a photo of me rocking my new tri suit 🙂

Now on to the title of this post – Comfest!  Comfest stands for “Community Festival” – a long-time Columbus tradition that takes place in Goodale Park, just one block from my apartment.  It’s essentially a “hippie” fest – lots of weed, booze, live music, and topless women.  Not exactly my scene, but it makes for great entertainment and is always worth acknowledging.

I kicked off Comfest week with a visit to The Kitchen.  The Kitchen describes itself as a “a participatory dining experience that blurs the line between patron and chef”.  Their main claim to fame is dinner parties in which the guests cook the meal together.  My first visit this past Tuesday, however, was not for one of these dinner parties (which I’ll have to do in the future!).  It was for “Taco Tuesday”.  Every Tuesday, the chef picks a different theme and creates a menu of tacos highlighting that theme.  Patrons wait in line to order their tacos before taking a seat at large, communal tables.  The atmosphere is casual and welcoming, resembling a cafeteria – if cafeterias were modern and cool.

I attended this week’s Taco Tuesday with my co-worker and friend Jenny, and her friend Sarah – also my friend too!  The theme this week?  Comfest!  Aka, “hippie” tacos.  I’m a bad blogger and didn’t take a photo of the menu until it was too late and just three tacos were left.  I found this photo of the menu on Instagram.

Taco Tuesday!

I had the “Dead Head”, “Janis Joplin”, and “Chong” tacos (left to right in the photo below), along with a nice cold Brooklyn Lager.  Unfortunately, I found the taco names to be better than the tacos themselves.  They were just OK – kind of mushy. After waiting in a 20-minute line to place our order, I asked the waitress if the pork and beef were shredded as opposed to cut into chunks.  I don’t like the texture of most meat unless it’s shredded – and sadly, despite her telling me that it was shredded, the meat was in chunks that were a little too chewy for my taste.  Alas, I still ate every bite of my three tacos.  They weren’t bad – they just weren’t my beloved Bakersfield tacos!

Before dinner, Jenny and I gossiped about work talked shop over drinks at Curio, an adorable little bar featuring interesting cocktails.   I can’t remember what these were, but suffice it to say that they were both tasty and refreshing.

Then, to ring in the official start of Comfest, Johnny, Ashley and I did a once-through of the madness on Friday night.  We walked around the park grounds for about 45 minutes, getting a contact high and taking in all the sites and scenes.  I got one of the those amazing fair lemonades – you know, the kind with a half of lemon in your cup and just the right amount of sugar to tartness.  It was divine.  We also played a game called, “first person to spot boobies wins a drink”.  Despite being notorious for topless women (which is legal in Columbus), it took us almost 30 minutes to spot any!  But spot I did – and they were cute ones, small and perky with ladybugs painted on them.  How adorable.  Ash and Johnny – you owe me a drink!

Comfest 2014!

Here’s to a short week – Happy Fourth of July!  (and 62nd birthday on July 2, Daddy!)

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Before I get into the big event of mine, I wanted to share an amazing article I found today with the hottest men of the 2014 World Cup.  Ben Foster of England and Juan Mata of Spain get my vote.  Sorry, American boys.

Ben Foster, England

Juan Mata, Spain

OK, enough of that.  I did not play any soccer this weekend (or ever), but I did partake in an athletic endeavor of my own: my third triathlon!  On Sunday morning, I swam 0.45 miles, biked 13, and ran 3.1 (actually more like 3.5 – the course was long) in the Ohio State Ross Tri Fit Challenge!   I competed with a team from work as part of the YMCA Corporate Challenge, and my company sponsored my race – big thanks!

GO MT!

The prep for this triathlon actually started the day before, when I drove to the starting location to drop of my bike.  This triathlon, like the other two I’ve completed, was a point-to-point course – meaning the swim-to-bike transition is in a different location than the bike-to-run transition.  Point-to-point courses are really fun, because you actually go somewhere instead of stick around the same area.  But they are also more complicated, in that you finish the race in a different place from where you started.  The swim for this race was in Antrim Park Lake, the bike course took us through Worthington and down High St. to Ohio Stadium (home of the Buckeyes!), and the run around Ohio State’s campus, right past my dorm and through The Oval, finishing on the 50-yard line of the ‘Shoe.  One hell of a course!

My alarm went off just as the Gay Pride supporters outside my window were calling it a night, at 4:15 AM!  I packed my standard pre-race breakfast of a PB&J sammy and banana and poured myself a mug full of coffee before heading out the door.  I was at the Stadium by 5, where I was treated to the coolest part of the entire day: an empty Ohio Stadium in the wee hours of the morning.  #worthit.

Ohio Stadium at 5AM!

I dropped of my run gear (running shoes, hat, race belt), met my co-workers, and hopped on a shuttle bus that took us to the start (that way, our cars were at the finish).  We then went to check out our bikes, which had been sitting overnight (with overnight security) and had collected plenty of dew.  I laid out my swim-to-bike transition stuff:  towel, water bottle to rinse off feet, socks, bike shoes, tank top, long-sleeve top (it was a cool morning and I get cold biking), helmet, sunglasses, race fuel, and my Garmin.  That’s when I discovered that my beloved Garmin watch decided to stop working.  Despite having charged it fully, it would not turn on – and still won’t now.  I mildly freaked out, then decided that I would just bike my hardest and run my fastest, and I didn’t need to see my pace to do that.

We made our way down to the swim start, and finally, at 6:30 AM, the first swimmers hit the water.  They released swimmers in small groups – maybe 3-5 at a time – every 5 seconds, which was a nice way to control overcrowding.  After another 30 minutes or so, it was finally my turn to enter the water.  Here goes nothing!

The water was just 74 degrees, as opposed to the high 70s/low 80s water of my previous races.   It was also wetsuit legal (below 78), but I had no desire to wear a wetsuit (and don’t own one), so I was really nervous about being freezing during the swim.  Turns out, the water felt great.  The swim was in a triangle shape, and was surprisingly crowded at times despite the wave start.  I got in my groove pretty quickly and stayed there for the most part, switching to breast stroke a few times to control my breathing and get my whereabouts.  I also REALLY had to pee before the swim, so I figured I would just pee while swimming.  Easier said than done!  Peeing takes concentration, and it’s very difficult to do while also swimming a race!  But I was determined not to get on the bike with a full bladder, so I multi-tasked and made it work.  Whew.  And not a minute too soon, the swim was over.  I knew I had done well – I swam as hard as I could.

After a barefoot run under a bridge and up a slippery hill, I transitioned from swim to bike, hopped on the bike, and started pedaling.  I quickly discovered that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore – this course was MUCH hillier than my previous two triathlons.  It was also narrow and crowded at times, especially towards the end.  I can’t say I enjoyed it – despite being a spin instructor, biking is by far my hardest event, and every pedal stroke takes effort.  But I made it through, and even had a spectator cheering me on!  The course went right past the home of my second mother, Karen, and she was out there cheering me on as I “whizzed” past.  Seeing her was wonderful.  I also ate a date stuffed with peanut butter and sprinkled with sea salt – a race fuel idea I stole from one my favorite blogs, fANNEtastic food.  I hate gels, and although I wasn’t really hungry I knew I needed a little extra boost to get me through the run.

The bike-to-run transition was tricky.  We were required to remove our bike shoes before entering the Stadium, and had to run our bikes down a steep slope (the same one TBDBITL uses to enter the field!).  The momentum built running down the entrance caused me to drop my bike at the bottom, knocking my shin and making me flustured for a minute.  But I got a hold of myself, racked my bike, switched shoes, and off I went.

The very first part of the run?  STAIRS!  Not a lot, but enough to get that heart rate up right off the bat.  I struggled initially on the run.  My right shin and calf were really bothering me, as they had been the days leading up to the race.  But I eventually got into a rhythm, and even ran into my friend EB on the course!  It was so great to see her in those last few miles of the race.  This was her first triathlon, and despite having the flu, she rocked it!

Triathletes!

I really picked up my pace towards the end.  The course was annoyingly mis-marked, and there was at least an additional quarter mile – not 0.1 – after the three-mile mark.  But I pushed through, and finished with a smile on my face!  The first thing I noticed afterwards was how NOT tapped-out I felt.  I honestly felt fine, and like I could do more.  That’s the great part about triathlons – as soon as you are feeling tapped out of one event, it’s on to the next, using different muscles and mentally changing the game.

I finished the race in 1:42:37 – a time I am very happy with!   I was in the top 20% of all swimmers (men included!) and the top 40% of all runners (men included!).  The bike…well, that’s another story.  Although my average MPH were quite slow at just 13.6, I felt good on the bike, like I was working hard – and I even passed some people!  Everyone has their weak event, and for this spin instructor, the bike is most definitely mine.  Weak legs, heavier bike, inexperience – whatever the reason, I know it’s something to work on.  But I’m a big believer in focusing on strengths, not weaknesses (in the workplace, too!), so I’m not going to get down on myself for a slower-than-average bike.  I’m a great swimmer and a good runner!  And most importantly – and I mean this – I had FUN!  Unlike after my last half-marathon in 2009, when I finish triathlons, the first thing I think is, “when can I do another one?!”.  They are just FUN!

And do another I will – in exactly five weeks from yesterday, in fact.  On July 27, I’ll be competing in my first Olympic distance triathlon – exactly TWICE the distance of yesterday’s.  That’s a 0.9 mile swim, 40K bike (~25 miles), and 10K (6.2 mile) run.  Eeeek.  It won’t be easy, and I have my work cut out for me these next five weeks.  My goal is not simply to finish – I know I can finish – but to finish not feeling like I have been run over by a truck.  I don’t have to feel as great as I felt yesterday, but I don’t want to be miserable either.  Because remember, triathlons are supposed to be fun!

Let the countdown begin!

It’s Sunday, September 13, 2009.  I’m 25 years old.  Yesterday was my best friend’s annual tailgate – typically my favorite day of the year.  But instead of reminiscing on how much fun I had with my friends, I’m thinking about how I didn’t meet a single guy at the tailgate.  Not one.  Yes, I know that things “happen when you least expect it”, and that I “should” focus on all my great friendships.  But the fact is, I’m tired of being single.  More accurately, I’m tired of not meeting anyone.  Of going out to the bars, weekend after weekend, hoping to meet a cute guy and coming home numberless.

But then, while on my bike on the Olentangy Trail, I have an epiphany.  Instead of expecting to meet someone organically, why not take matters into my own hands and step into the 21st century?  Why not try online dating?!  And so I hurriedly bike home, hop on my computer, and sign up for match.com.  I instantly feel better.  After all, I’m very Type-A, and being “in control” of my situation is paramount to my well-being.  The fact that I am taking my fate into my own hands is more powerful and uplifting than any guy asking for my number at the tailgate would have been.

Fast-forward five years later, and I’m still that same girl, trying to meet “that guy”.  But this time, I’m an seasoned online dater (what every girl dreams of being at age 30).  I’ve had an off-again, on-again relationship with match.com, as well as JDate, OKCupid, and Tinder.  And while I have yet to meet my husband on any of these sites, I’ve had a lot of adventures.  Some good, some not-so-good, all making life my life more colorful.   Nora Ephron once famously said, “everything is copy”, and I couldn’t agree more.  By looking at my online dating experiences through this lens, I can avoid taking myself too seriously, in favor of finding the humor and richness these experiences bring to my life.

With that, I bring you my multi-post series on online dating.  Part I:  Quantity vs. Quality.  I should preface this by saying that my understanding of the online marketplace is limited by my experiences on the four aforementioned dating sites.  There are many more out there, but at this point in my life I’ve been an active participant in *just* these four.  Who knows how much my perspective will widen with more years of dating ahead of me!

The online dating marketplace can be summed up in one simple relationship:   Quantity vs. Quality.  The quantity of the men on a dating site (or mobile app, in the case of Tinder) is inversely related to the quality of those men, as shown in the graph below:

For example, match.com, my introduction to online dating, is at the origin.  The quantity of men is average, as is the quality of those men.  JDate, a site designed exclusively for “The Chosen People”, has very few men (shockingly) – but I found those men to be relatively high-caliber.  On the other extreme, OKCupid and Tinder are both teeming with men, but very few of those men are worth a reply, let alone a date.

Note that the top right quadrant of the graph is empty.  There are no sites that are full of high-quality men just waiting to find their perfect woman and vice-versa.  But the good news is, we (both women and men) are not restricted to dating online only.  We are still allowed to meet people at coffee shops and through friends and at tailgates.   But when those traditional methods fall short, striking up an email conversation with a cute guy and then meeting him for a drink can remind you that you’re still out there.  And even if Mr. Online doesn’t turn out to be Mr. Right or even Mr. Right Now, those adventures make life more colorful – and even serve as copy for your blog.

Stay tuned for Part II of my online dating series!

Long time no blog!  I’m sure you’ve all be checking O-HI-30 daily, wondering where the heck Sarah is and assuming I already gave up this whole writing thing.  But give up I have not – I was simply enjoying a week+ in beautiful Anna Maria Island, FL, largely disconnected from technology and connected to sun, sand, and shrimp.

Having been away from this space for almost two weeks, I have all sorts of random things to share.  Adventures, you might call them.  So  I’ve decided that on occasion, I’ll write an “Adventures” post featuring whatever my fingers long to type.  I hope you enjoy this first installment!

Vacation

I spent the last 9 days in total bliss, also known as Anna Maria Island, FL, where my family has been fortunate enough to vacation for the majority of my 30 years.  We’ve been staying in the same house thanks to our dear family friend Karen, eating at the same restaurants (with some new ones in the mix), and walking the same pictureesque path to the beach for as long as I can remember.  Every time we go, we fall even quicker into our respective routines of doing very little, and this year was no exception.  My days looked a little like this:  wake up, drink coffee, do something physical (run, walk on the beach, do some outdoor yoga (the real hot yoga), do a workout my trainer gave me (he would be proud!) etc.), eat some lunch (can you say fried shrimp at the Starfish?!), lather on sunscreen for the 8th millionth time, put on swimsuit, drag chairs down to beach, swim, read, swim, head home, shower, play rummy tile, eat dinner, eat Publix key lime pie, go to bed.  Repeat.  Not on the agenda?  Blow dry hair, do makeup.  It was exceptionally relaxing, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my family, as I always do.  I’m a lucky gal.

The Best Crab Cakes in the World

Perfection

Read

I spent the first half of my vacation obsessively reading the latest from my favorite author, Emily Giffin.  I’m a slow reader.  Both in speed and stamina.  But just like her other books, I devoured “The One and Only” in just a few days, savoring her words and addictive story-telling ability every chance I got.  It was not her best – that was her first, “Something Borrowed”, but nonetheless, I was hooked from page one.  I like to think of myself as a bit of a chick-lit “snob” – I do love chick-lit, but I love well-written chick-lit.  I definitely discriminate, and Emily Giffin never disappoints.  I was sad when the book was finished.  I did manage to finish another book (that I had already started months before and gave up on for some reason) and enjoyed it too – The Engagements – but not as much as my beloved Emily Giffin.  I only hope she’s writing her next!

Watch

I’m six (or is it 5?) episodes into the second season of Orange is the New Black, released two weekends ago from Netflix.  Talk about an awkward show to watch with your parents!  Fortunately, it takes more than some lesbian sex to make me uncomfortable.  And man is there a lot of it – a little too much, in my opinion.  Aside from the gratuitous almost-porn scenes, this season is as good if not better than the first.  I loved getting to know the back stories of some of the women in season one, and I’m happy to see that continue in season two.  Less Piper, more everyone else (Tastee is my favorite!). And have I mentioned that I want to marry Jason Biggs?

Compete

Did I also forget to mention that I’m competing in my third Triathlon this Sunday?  That’s because I haven’t given it much thought – until now.  I realized this morning that, OH SHIT, i’m doing a triathlon on Sunday!  It’s not that I’m not properly trained for it – I am – but I’ve been mentally blowing it off as “just a quick tri”, when in actuality it’s the same distance as my previous two, less 6 miles on the bike.  Still no walk in the park, especially given the frigid water temps (72 degrees!) and quarter-mile gap between the swim and the bike (that’s a long transition).  And let’s face it, no matter how many times I swam 2400 meters at a time this past year, swimming 750 in a foreign lake with a bunch of people kicking makes it feel like zero.  And I still get a little nervous everytime I clip into my bike pedals.  Perhaps the only part of the tri I’m not worried about is the run.  But hey, it’s supposed to be fun, right?!  And it will be!  Even better?  The post-750 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 5K  run-brunch, mani/pedi, and massage I have planned!  I promise a full race recap!

Steam

After using one to erase the sand and dirt coating the floors of the Florida house, I borrowed Karen’s floor steamer to clean my own floors yesterday afternoon.  Many years of pushing dirty mop water around my beautiful wood floors and tricking myself into believing they were actually clean got me curious.  The results?  I’m buying my own immediately!  These are the things that make me happy at age 30 (ok, they made me happy at age 23 too.  #cleanfreak).

Eat

After a week+ of indulging in a lot of fried shrimp and very few vegetables, I was craving something light but filling last night.  I also was really craving some eggs.  Enter this frittata, courtesy of The Pioneer Woman!  In true Sarah style, I really didnt’ follow her recipe at all – just used it for the technique.  My frittata contained a whole onion, zucchini, spinach, and the star of the show, bacon!  And don’t forget the cheese – I’m currently obsessed with Trader Joe’s caramelized onion and cheddar.  Served with a nice crunchy salad.  I ate leftovers for dinner tonight, and will for lunch tomorrow and a fourth meal still!  Great for single gals – or a single gal dinner party!

Feeds One, Four Times!

So there you have it – my very first “Adventures” post.  Up next:  the wonderful world of online dating!

Throughout my childhood, my mother cooked fresh, homemade meals almost every night.  Dinner was the highlight of my day, and the question, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” was uttered before breakfast had even been consumed.  You see, I love food, and have since I was a wee one.  Aside from a brief stint as a baby when I couldn’t gain weight, I’ve always been ready for seconds or a fourth cookie.  Fortunately, I was also a thin girl and no one was concerned when I could finish an entire adult perch dinner (two fried fillets).  While I attribute some of this to my fairly stellar metabolism I inherited from my mom, I also attribute it to the healthy, balanced meals she fed my brother and me.  Dinner always included a protein (chicken), a starch (potatoes or rice), a vegetable (yes, I ate them as a kid.  In fact, “beets” was one of my first words!), and possibly a salad and/or some nice crusty bread.  No frozen fish sticks or KFC buckets on our dinner table.

When I moved out of the dorms and into my first college apartment, dinner continued to include multiple components.  The difference was, instead of those components being family-friendly, they were catered towards the cheap, busy college student.  On any given evening, “dinner” might consist of a can of green beans, an english muffin, and a yogurt.  Maybe throw a piece of chicken on the george forman grill if it was a good night.  Not exactly what I’d call an appetizing meal.  Fortunately, things took a turn for the better when I graduated and started working an 8-5 job.  With more built-in structure, I started cooking real meals – ones that slightly resembled the coveted ones of my childhood.

Cooking for one is a tricky thing.  You don’t want to overbuy at the grocery store  for fear of having to throw away food, but if you buy too little, you end up eating out because your fridge is bare.  For the same reason, it’s tough to have a wide variety of foods. But after seven years of cooking for one, I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing what I will and won’t eat.  I’ve also gotten pretty good at knowing how to whip up a tasty meal in a hurry.  For 2.5 years, I worked full-time and went to grad school at night, which didn’t leave me with a lot of time for leisurely culinary adventures.  And although I’m now back to my pre-grad school lifestyle, I haven’t found myself wanting to cook elaborate meals quite as much as I used to.  I eat out more than I’d like to admit as a way of socializing, but I very rarely get takeout.  Instead, those nights that I do eat dinner at home, I prefer to make a simple, healthy dinner that can maybe double as lunch the next day.  But one thing for sure hasn’t changed – I’ll still spend an entire yoga class thinking about what I’m going to have for dinner.  What can I say – old habits die hard.

So what are some of my go-to dinners?

• Salads with interesting protein:  Think an over-easy egg, veggie burger, or my current favorite – meatballs in spaghetti sauce.  Yep, you read that right.  I always like to have meatballs in the freezer (homemade – they freeze well).  I’ll take out a few, heat them on the stove in some sauce, and in the meantime build the rest of the salad.  I like to massage the lettuce in a little EVOO and balsamic, then add whatever veg I have on hand, some blue cheese, and banana pepper rings.  They just go well with the meatballs.  Serve with a nice piece of crusty bread (some things never change).

Meatballs on Salad. Try it!

• Mac and Cheese:  Oddly enough, I was not a fan of mac and cheese as I kid.  I was a bit of a food snob at a young age, and turned my nose up at anything that belonged on the kid table.  But as an adult, I’ve discovered the amazing-ness of boxed mac and cheese.  Of course, I’m still a food snob so I purchase the organic kind, then add some cooked chicken sausage and frozen peas to the mix.  Add some hot sauce and you’ve got a well-rounded meal.

Classic, Revisited

• Lazy-Woman’s Stir Fry: This is what I had for dinner on Sunday and lunch today (leftovers).  I’m not a vegetarian by any means (hello, bacon?), but I LOVE tofu.  Especially when it’s cooked well – in big cubes, a little chewy but not overdone.  I’ll stir-fry some tofu cubes (drained and pressed all day in the fridge using the fifth Harry Potter book, my least favorite) in a pan with some coconut oil (my new favorite trader joes discovery), then add some broccoli, peppers, onions, shaved carrots – whatever I have on hand.  I’ll add some trader joes red curry sauce from a bottle, cook up some trader joes frozen brown rice in the micro, and viola – a stir-fry is born.  Thanks, Trader Joes.  Top with bean sprouts, lime, and peanuts.

I Love Tofu!

• Veggie Burger & Fries:  One of my longest lasting go-tos.  You just can’t go wrong with a Morningstar Farms black bean burger with avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickle.  Pair it with some oven baked sweet potato or regular fries, and you’re good to go!

• Beans and Rice:  Courtesy of my favorite blogger, this beans and rice meal is one of my favorites.  My version is slightly different – I use yellow rice (the cooking time doesn’t bother me – I use the time to unload the dishes, prepare the rest of the meal, etc.).  I chop some garlic and an onion, throw it in the skillet, maybe add some sliced pepper, then add a can of red kidney beans (rinsed), a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, some jarred jalapenos, and a pinch or two of cumin and cayenne (to taste).  I usually add some spinach at the last minute for good measure.  Serve the bean mixture over the rice, and top with sour cream (I like Daisy Light), avocado, and pepperjack cheese.  If you have tortilla chips, add them for some crunch.

• And When All Else Fails:  There is always Northstar Cafe!

What are some of your go-to dinners?

Happy Sunday, all!   I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was very “summer”, complete with a hotdog and beers at a minor league baseball game (don’t worry, I didn’t watch a single play), lounging by the pool, the debut of my trendy new jumpsuit on the Columbus bar scene, a 19-mile ride (tri training is in full force!), as well as other summery adventures.

Nice Backdrop for Hotdogs and Beer

Worth the $6

Jumpsuit!

Being out and about this weekend got me thinking about dating (ok, I’m always thinking about dating).  More specifically, how to MEET people.    As a 30-year old in Midwest, it’s comes as no surprise to me that most people I meet are in relationships (if not married).  What continues to elude me, however, is how all these people managed to meet their significant others in the first place, let alone fall in love and spend a life together.  Because in my experience (and I have many years of it), meeting people is not easy.

Columbus is a great place to live – rents are reasonable (especially mine!), people are nice, the food is good.  But Columbus, like much of the Midwest, is not necessarily an easy place to live if you are single and above the age of 27.  You see, by the time most Midwesterners are in their late 20’s, they’ve already met the person they intend on spending their life with.  Whereas in large metropolitan areas it’s uncommon for a 27-year-old to be married, in the Midwest it’s entirely too common.  Which leaves those of us who did not get our MRS degree in college or the few years that followed in a bit of a pickle.

The situation is complicated by the fact that we are living in a crazy technological world.  Back when my parents were dating (many a year ago), people met organically – at the bar on a Friday night, at the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon.  If a man was interested in a woman, the only way to ensure he would see her again was to ask for her number and subsequently use it.  But in today’s information-overloaded world, people don’t have to meet in line at the dry cleaner.  They can meet on dating sites.  I rarely see strangers chatting each other up in bars – I see groups of friends huddled together, barely acknowledging the other bar-goers.  Dining alone while traveling for business, I see other lonely travelers also dining alone – buried into their iPhones and not making small talk with the cute stranger next to them.  And even if two strangers do manage to meet, the guys don’t have to call – they can text, or send you a Facebook message, or just figure they’ll see you again sometime.

Depressed yet?  I wouldn’t blame you.  But I’m a glass-half-full kinda girl.  I like to believe that it IS possible to meet someone, even if you are 30 and living in Columbus, Ohio.   And living the O-HI-30 life means that I refuse to sit back and wait for my dream man to find me.  I can find him!

Ways to Meet Men:

• Online Dating:  I’ve been a 5+ year subscriber to various dating sites, off and on.  Match.com, OKCupid, JDate (yep, for the Jews).  I’m a big believer in that online dating is just another way to meet someone, and that once you do indeed meet, the fact that you met online becomes a moot point.  Future post!
• Tinder:  “I’m yellin’ Tinder”.  Hot-or-Not dating app for your phone.  It gets to the root of meeting people right off the bat – swipe right if you’re interested, left if you’re not.  If it’s a mutual match, you get to text.  A great way to entertain a group of married men and women – give them your phone and you might not get it back.
• “Drive-By Shooting”:  A guy I did this to once compared my tactic to a drive-by shooting.  You write your name and number on a napkin, preferably accompanied by a clever and breezy tagline like, “call me, maybe?”.  You place it on cute guy’s table, and then promptly turn around and run out of coffee shop/bar.  Trust me, it works – I have an 80% success rate.
• “Blind” Dates:  Blind in quotations because with Facebook, dates are never blind.  Not being shy about my single status, I tell everyone and anyone who’s willing to listen that I’ll gladly go on a blind date with their niece’s friend’s roommate.  It’s only a drink, and you never know!
• Wingman:  I don’t mean this in the traditional sense of a wingman – having a friend be the intermediary between me and cute guy at a bar.  I’ll do that myself.  What I mean by wingman is asking my hairdresser to fix me up with the cute guy who’s hair she was cutting before mine.  Or asking my best friend to give the Jewish doctor she’s sharing night-shift with my number.  Gotta be your own advocate!
• Being Friendly:  And last, but definitely not least – just being friendly.  Part of my O-HI-30 mantra is to be open to meeting men anytime, anywhere.  My mom always says to keep my eyes – and heart – open, and cheesy as it may be, it’s sound advice.  I’ve found that in keeping my eyes and heart open makes it easier to be friendly and chatty.  Most friendly encounters will stay just that.  But some may turn into a series of texts.  And maybe – believe it or not – an actual date!

Call Me Maybe?