Will Write When Possible

10 Tips for Wedding Planning Success

2012-01-22T16:03:00.010-06:00

The three months prior to our wedding and up until moments before I walked down the aisle, my attention had to be focused on my parents' health. While not the build-up every bride dreams of, we still had an amazing time -- and our guests call it one of the best weddings they'd attended.

I'm proud of the fact that I started out completely overwhelmed by the thought of planning a party for 150 people and ended up throwing a great one. I know we came out on top not just because of the support I had but because we made key decisions throughout the planning process that set us up for a great event.

Our friends and family ask me how I did it. Here's my advice that could apply to any bride:

1) Choose the right vendors. Everyone we hired met the following criteria:

We loved their their portfolio. Sounds basic, but we didn't choose anyone out of guilt (say, because it's a friend in the business), because it was convenient, because of "the name," etc.
There was no "chasing them down" on our end. If I placed a call or sent an email, I received a reply within a reasonable timeframe. We crossed potential vendors off our list when we realized they struggled to answer a simple inquiry. I couldn't imagine dealing with that month after month -- let alone on our wedding day.
I trusted and respected their opinion, and they listened to mine.
We liked their personalities. We knew they'd be with us on one of the most important and emotional days of our life, so if they drove us crazy during a proposal meetings, we knew it wouldn't be fun the day of.
They didn't push us. Society puts enough pressure on brides. The last thing I needed was a vendor pushing me to do something I didn't want to do.
My husband approved. The day wouldn't be just about me, so I wanted to make sure he had input and approved of the big decisions. Signing off on vendors is one of them.
They were willing to work within our budget. And if we needed to adjust, they always had equally compelling alternatives.
They had solid, realistic replies to, "What's your back up plan in case an emergency happens on our wedding day?"

In short: we hired professionals.

2) Treat it as a business project tied to a dollar amount for which you are responsible. This doesn't mean cutting out all the emotion; it just means not letting emotion take over decisions about budget or get in the way of your being professional. Run your wedding planning as a project with standards your work boss would approve of and you'll have a great event.

3) Narrow choices down to two or three; make a decision; move on. You will continue to see many beautiful, great ideas throughout your planning process. Yes, make a change if needed, but don't look for the sake of looking. After I decided on my bridesmaid dresses and colors, for example, for my own sanity I skipped that section of bridal magazines and spent my time researching whatever was next on my list.

4) When you have downtime, work ahead. There will be lulls. During them, I would imagine how crazy brides get the month before their wedding and used that as motivation to take care of as much as I could beforehand. Sometimes people interpreted my working ahead as doing too much. I'd reply, "I don't know what I'll be like the month before my wedding, so if I can get it done sooner, I will."

This worked out, and for different reasons than I imagined: my dad was in the hospital the entire month prior to our wedding and only got out four days before, when he and my mom still needed assistance. I was thrilled not to have to be taking on anything beyond what was necessary.

5) Look at photojournalists' photos of weddings and pick one whose mood shows what you want your day to be. Tell your friends, family, and vendors what you envision, and make choices that support it. I found a photo of a bride doing a breakdance move on the dance floor and wanted to have as much fun as her -- but I knew I had to plan and mentally prepare to be that carefree. (I think we ended up having more fun that that bride!)

6) Put thought into backup plans, and keep the ideas tucked in the back of your head. My cousin's wedding dress only arrived the week before her wedding, and because she needed major alterations, there was a fear the dress wouldn't be ready. Remembering that, I made a note about how much I loved the dresses at Nordstrom's bridal suite and kept it in mind as an off-the-rack option if disaster struck.

7) Dish out responsibilities -- wedding-related or not -- whenever you can. There were definitely tasks I, as the bride, needed or wanted to do. But if I could, I handed them off. And in the month before the wedding when most of what was left fell on my shoulders, I accepted my husband's offer to help by having him do non-wedding errands, such as going to the post office or running to the grocery store.

8) But be strategic when handing out tasks. Don't give important duties to people you can't trust, whatever the reason might be. If Aunt Martha, who applies 1960s decor to anything she touches, offers to do the favors for your very classic wedding, find a different way she can help. Similarly, don't send your well-meaning friend who easily gets lost in the city to pick up your rings downtown during rush hour.

9) The day of the wedding, don't worry about having a perfect wedding! Adopt a "roll with it" mentality. Trust that, at that point, you've done everything you can to set it up for success and let go. Have fun! Because if you can do that, when the inevitable hiccup comes up, you'll be able to laugh at it and not have the rest of your day ruined. It rained on our big day, and although we had to make a few adjustments, I'm convinced the outcome was just as awesome as if it were sunny.

10) Let this guide you: The day is yours and your partner's. Everyone has an opinion; do what is right for you. If boundaries with family or friends need to be set, be polite, but set them. You want to look back and know that you made the choices you wanted and that any compromises were ones you were comfortable with.

***

Want to see a snaphot of our wedding?

Brian and me: Love Like a Sunset. Video by Leap Weddings.

Me, getting ready: Us. A Video By Leap Weddings.

ASBPE Blog Post: Content Strategist vs. Writer: What's the Difference?

2012-01-22T13:20:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I've felt like writing more than a status update about my life, but I'm in the mood for a quickie. Here's my latest post for ASBPE: Content Strategist vs. Writer: What's the Difference?

I think it's critical to understand these roles as organizations continue to invest in content strategy and re-shape their communications departments' structure and function.

Switching from Editor to Content Strategist? Consider These Questions First

2011-07-21T18:55:00.001-05:00

Content strategy is a hot term, and consequently it's become a hot job and job skill. Plus, companies are using -- and hiring -- content strategists, and those companies are generally outside of publishing. That means they pay better.

Throw all those factors in, and editors might start to wonder whether life as a full-time content strategist is right for them.

I wrote a blog post for the American Society of Business Publication Editors addressing the questions editors should consider before making the switch. Of course, the list applies to anyone. Read on.

What's Going On

2011-07-12T21:01:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest and greatest, without prose:

* Wedding plans are going swimmingly.
* I decided to do the Pleasant Prairie tri a week before the race and set a personal record of 1 hour, 23 minutes. (The perfect weather helped.)
* My posts for ASBPE on content strategy have led a few association trade pubs to interview me.
* My dad's cancer has turned aggressive. We're hoping that he can still have necessary surgery to remove his bladder now that he's had a mini-stroke -- from which he's recovering magnificently, btw.
* Food is still fun.
* I'm doing my best.

More at some point.

Strength to All

2011-04-04T19:31:00.000-05:00

My cousin's wife passed away less than 24 hours ago. I can't imagine what's going through his head, or what their two sons (12 and 15 or so -- clearly old enough to know what's going) are feeling. I can't imagine, and I don't want to imagine.

I hadn't seen them in years; family schedules just didn't mesh, and admittedly, priorities didn't either -- and there's no blame on anyone's end. Our family's complicated. But just because we aren't close doesn't mean I can't feel horrible for the tragedy they're going through.

We found out about five weeks ago that Cindy had cancer -- I think it was of the liver, bones, and brain. Whatever it was, it moved fast.

She had battled breast cancer twice before, and then this.

So, I'm holding Brian tighter tonight, and I'm sending prayers their way. Wine might be involved.

God, I hate this wretched disease.

Brian's Food

2011-03-28T20:09:00.001-05:00

I, 23 Times Removed

2011-03-28T20:06:00.006-05:00

Oops. It's been a few weeks since I've written. That's because I haven't really wanted to detail the New Bad News -- how my cousin's wife had cancer of the liver, bones, and brain diagnosed a month ago -- and the Formerly Bad but Good News, that my aunt had surgery because they suspected she had cancer (pre-cancerous growths, in the end, but not there yet). Who wants to hear all that? Not me. It's in my head already.

But since then things have been OK. And tonight I come off of three really good things:

1) A fantastic weekend with my eternally energetic, intellectual, ALIVE friend Cynthia. Cupcakes, multiple ethnic foods, and a play that -- of course -- was about sex and artistic men.

2) My first lecture and assignment for an advanced personal essay class.

3) Feedback from my managers that people are happy with me at work.

I'm still sorting through that compelling play -- mainly why I'm so attracted to it. The class, which I just signed into, is top of mind.

I recently wrote my friend Laura about this class, and she wrote back telling me how she admired I get excited about "assignments." I see it as someone challenging me to do something I love in a different way.

The first assignment is to write like a Joan Didion passage we read as part of our lecture: to write in first person without using "I."

I'm scared by this. I'd like to think that when I had my blog (no, I will not link to it, and even if I wanted to I couldn't) I avoided saying "I", and I think I did. But since then? I, I, I, I, I. This instructor managed to pinpoint why I've hated my writing for years. I couldn't figure it out.

In case you wondered, I used "I" 24 times prior to this sentence.

Let's see how "I" can reign that in.

Trying to Eat Healthy and Exercise Regularly? Ideas on How to Make It Work (And It Starts with Becoming Disciplined)

2011-03-04T21:46:00.006-06:00

I had this weird stretch in my last job in which colleagues -- even ones I didn't know -- were constantly commenting on what I was eating, which usually wasn't fried, like their food, and was a smaller portion, unlike theirs. It got so bizarre that one woman who saw me filling up my water bottle with half-hot water, which is just something I do, turned to me and said, "See, that's why you're skinny. I'm gonna do that if you're doing that so I can be skinny too."

By the time she had said this to me, I had been facing comments for months, and I'd had enough. So I just told her, "I'm thin because I work out five days a week in the morning and I make sure to eat well 90% of the time," and I left the room.

I still am often asked what I do to stay at a healthy weight, albeit in much more normal and tactful? flattering? way. And I answer with the same basic answer: I eat healthy and exercise regularly.

Then, I usually end up listening to the person -- who knows very well that healthy food and exercise is important and who has the means to improve their lifestyle -- list excuses about why they're not doing either.

It's frustrating because they often make the assumption I don't face similar challenges -- and that's what they are: challenges, not obstacles. Just because you don't have time for whatever reason to get a workout in doesn't mean you can't eat well. Just because you are on the road a lot and forced to eat restaurant food doesn't mean you can't make healthy decisions.

That's what it boils down to: constantly making decisions every time you go to eat and figuring out how to fit in exercise -- weighing good, bad, and ugly choices; thinking about it strategically; and being responsible.

Here's the best advice I can give to someone trying to be healthy for whatever end goal and trying to get into a sustainable routine. Because we all know it has to be sustainable to work, right?

Stop the excuses. Find a way around the challenge, because there is one. Hitting a road block? Ask a friend for ideas or consult the Google machine.
Devote money to your food budget. The sad thing about our society is that food that is bad for you is cheap and easy to put in the cart. If it means spending less money on gifts to people, entertainment, clothes, etc., do what you need to shift that money. Accept the sacrifice for the commitment.
When you can't get a full workout in or go the gym, look for time you can take to do something elsewhere in your day -- stretching, lifting, walking, etc. Or accept a shorter workout and go to the gym anyway. Just get there or get moving so you can look at it as an accomplishment: I had no time to do X, but I made time to do Y.
When you're not motivated and know you should work out, tell yourself that anything you do -- even if it's an easier or shorter workout -- is better than nothing.
Can't workout at all? Make sure to eat healthy.
Learn how to shop for food -- and keep easy-to-cook ingredients on hand for when you don't have time.
Wondering what easy-to-cook ingredients are? Google them.
Make the right decision in the moment. Forced to eat takeout? Be that customer who asks for the grilled chicken sandwich without the cheese and mayonaise.
Except you're going to have to get creative on how to add flavor to food that isn't fried or covered in butter or mayonaise.
Don't cook at home with butter. If you must use butter, use actual butter, fat and everything. And don't go crazy on it.
Plan what you're going to eat or do for exercise for the week or that day.
Then have a backup plan when life inevitable comes in the way.
Give yourself options
Use those options: variety is the key so you don't get bored, so you can react when your plan's foiled, and so your body is happy (cross training, different foods all work differnt muscles or provide diff. nutrients).
Don't try to go cold turkey on anything food related. You'll torture yourself, and it's unrealistic. The point is to learn how to enjoy things like birthday cake and not go crazy -- either by overindulging or denying something you really, really enjoy.
Don't set unrealistic goals you can't accomplish or follow-through on. Think short-term, or baby steps, and build on from there.
Pay attention to how full you are. Stop eating when you hit that point. If you're still hungry, eat.
Listen to your body. Think about how you feel and what you did that day that might be affecting you.
Cook at home. Don't know how to cook? Learn how to boil water, make scrambled eggs, open a bag of frozen vegetables, etc. Even if you don't like to cook, determine what you need to do to avoid having takeout or restaurant food at every meal.
If you're in the happy-to-splurge mode -- say, at a party or dinner with friends -- and are offered something that tastes bad, don't eat it and move on to something else.
Save your calories for the good stuff.
Talk about exercise and healthy food with people. Keep trying if you have a hard time finding like-minded folks.
Make being healthy what you're known for.
Read labels; get educated; read the pamphlets HR hands out or your doctor talks about. Eat those foods. If it sounds bad, i.e. I can't imagine a baked potato without a slab of butter, find ways to (naturally) add flavor.
AVOID PROCESSED FOODS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. Just do it, and you'll see.
Don't overdo it and become too concerned that it stresses you. This can be hard once you get into it, but trust me, you don't want to drive yourself nuts.
Find what works for you -- what makes you feel healthy and satisfied that you're doing something and are showing improvement.

I know I'm writing this with a lot of attitude, and it's mainly because of my beef with American society's food culture. My hope is that the people asking me for advice take a hard look at the areas you CAN control and can improve and go after them. Take ownership of your lifestyle!

While I recovered from pneumonia and could barely cross the room without losing my breath, I tried yoga. I was really doing very basic stretches for short periods of time, but I felt like I was doing what I could, as frustrated as I was.

Are you doing what you can?

MAKE THIS PIZZA NOW

2011-02-20T17:51:00.001-06:00

I am proud to share this super-easy pizza recipe for your indulgence. I love the olive oil and garlic base and the kick that the roasted poblanos give. I made it using leftovers from bison burgers we had one night, but I'll share how to get those ingredients too. Many thanks to my Facebook friends for their ideas that finished it off!
Here we go:

BISON PIZZA

1 whole wheat pizza crust, ready-made
10-12 slices provolone
1/2 lb. ground bison, cooked, sprinkled with just a touch of seasoning (we used Cavender's)
caramelized onions
mushrooms that are sauteed with olive oil and S&P in the same pan that was used for the onions
1 poblano pepper, coated with olive oil, roasted and chopped
3 cloves chopped garlic
olive oil

1) Preheat your oven according to the pizza package instructions and prepare the bison, onions and mushrooms
2) Brush the crust with olive oil and sprinkle on the garlic
3) Top the pizza with the caramelized onions, mushrooms, poblano peppers, and cooked ground bison
4) Layer the provolone on top
5) Bake until crust just starts to crisp, about 9 min. for us.

It's heaven. Enjoy.

2011-02-12T10:10:00.000-06:00

I believe that everyone should have a right to go to the bathroom privately and comfortably. I even feel for dogs, who are forced to go to the bathroom not just in public, but in front of their owner. Have you ever seen a dog look up happily at its owner -- watching with an eagle eye! -- while it squats? No, you haven't, because that dog is humiliated.

I bring this up because we found out this week that my dad's bladder cancer might be making a comeback. It was diagnosed a couple years ago, when he began frequent bacterial treatments that caused him a lot of pain. The treatments flushed really strong bacteria through his bladder, which makes peeing painful and even dangerous if he's not careful; he has to disinfect the toilet after he goes.

Going to the bathroom essentially had to take over his life. But then they started weaning him off and had switched him to a 6-month schedule. What they were doing was basically maintaining it, keeping it at bay. I could tell he wasn't running to the bathroom as often. I'm not sure if he was in pain.

Unfortunately, in his words, "the plumbing didn't start to work" right again, and in those 6 months, several growths developed. Now we're waiting to hear back if the tumors are malignant or cancerous.

I think at some point I read that bladder cancers are contained and that the worst-case scenario is a bag. That's certainly better than a lot of other alternatives, and believe me, we've been thankful this has been manageable and he's been able to maintain a pretty normal life. We don't ignore that.

But I would hate to have my dad go through all this again. I hate that going to the bathroom for him is difficult and could become a major part of his life. I feel the same way for a friend who's dealing with rectal cancer (hi, Beth).

They're both doing brilliantly and prove that you really can handle what life gives you, even when it comes to matters of the bathroom. But that doesn't mean that I like it and don't get angry they have to go through it.

Hopefully while I'm angry for the situation, some cosmic or karmic forces are making them both at ease so it's easier to focus on getting healthy.

An Anniversary Toast to MK

2011-02-12T08:36:00.002-06:00

We celebrated our four-year anniversary this week at MK, what I've always heard of as an "institution to Chicago dining." Brian's been there a bunch of times, and pretty much everyone in our little foodie group has too. Because of it, it's never at the top of our list;when you live in a city with new -- good! - restaurants popping up every time Tom Skilling says "lake effect," the oldies but goodies take a back seat.

I don't know what it was like when it opened 10 years ago and don't have multiple visits to compare to. But I will say it's worthy of its reputation. I love MK, and here's why:

The food's just as innovative as some of the new folks' in town, which says a lot for a 10-year-old restaurant. Sure, there are a couple dishes that have been on the menu since the beginning (I hear the MOST AMAZING EVER (!) truffled frittes are one of 'em) but this place has changed with the times.
The staff were awesome and had a sense of humor, which really can make or break your meal, no mattter how great the food is. The staff at L20 last year were about as stuffy and stiff as you could get, and while Nomi's crew, for example, were extremely nice and knowledgeable, they were quite reserved. On the flipside, two cocktails, and glass full white and red wine later, we invited our MK servers to our wedding. It's completely ridiculous and not going to happen, but in the moment, it was a brilliant idea. When you laugh and joke with people all night long, it makes the meal all the sweeter.
And the decor is awesome. It's warm yet contemporary. Wood beam ceilings, exposed brick but then contemporary tables and colors and whatnot. Really cool and comfortable. Yet ..
There's brilliance in dressing up for dinner yet still being comfortable -- making a special meal an affair, a cause for celebration. They say all this on their home page. I love it, as these days, all we seem to do is dress down more and more. That's great, but it doesn't mean dressing up can't have it's place too.

Whenever people ask me for recs, I'm tempted to name the hottest spot or a relatively hot spot. This will be top of mind from now on.

What We've Been Eating, January 2011

2011-02-05T17:01:00.001-06:00

Here's a snapshot of our meals from January 2011. Some were no-recipe wonders, others borrowed from cookbooks, some combined leftovers with new ingredients. Enjoy!

I heart this dish! I added some fish sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce to soba noodles and mixed in shrimp, ginger and vegetables.

Mmm: My mom's oxtail soup. I just read that oxtails today aren't really the tails of an ox but instead cow parts. I know she's been buying the same meat for this soup for decades based on what her mom bought, and given the fact she doesn't shop at a shi-shi grocery store, I'm thinking it's the real thing. Regardless, she gets a kick out of the fact that oxtail is trendy; it's been a staple for peasants for years.

One of the items on our wedding menu is an amazing korean bbq pork roast. Brian duplicated it pretty darn well last week and made an Asian-inspired slaw and AMAZING garlic mashed potatoes, his own special recipe.

I barely remember this, but I know that the sauce on top is actually pureed vegetables with rosemary, leftovers from another dinner. I took leftover potatoes that had been sliced, baked, salted and sprinkled with thyme and mixed it with more vegetables, then topped it with the puree. To use Brian's favorite phrase, it was "actually pretty good."

How a Content Strategist and Information Architect Work Together

2011-02-01T17:31:00.000-06:00

If you're going to practice content strategy, you can't not incorporate information architecture.

ASBPE asked me to write a blog about just this. Without further adieu, here's a snapshot into how a content strategist and information architect can work together. (And no, I didn't write the headline.)

And She Wrote and She Wrote and She Wrote

2011-02-01T17:27:00.002-06:00

I really want to try to write more.

Years ago, I wrote all the time. I was prolific! I had a blog, the MorningAfter Blog, that tackled dating and relationships and people and all things universal. It was popular and I enjoyed it.

But then it wasn't fun anymore. I got into a relationship and realized, for the moment, I had shared enough with the world. I wanted to be private and give up being public. I didn't want a "beat."

Since then, I've tried to get into topics -- food, triathlons, etc. -- without feeling passionate about it. And I still feel that way most of the time.

But something today has gotten me going, and I'm hoping it's not a fluke. Writing's been on my mind a lot, and I'm considering dropping a lot of money in a time when I'm spending way too much (wedding! hel-lo!) just to take a class on personal essays that would require me to write and put me in a position to improve how I do it too.

If I dig deeper, it's easy for me to point to my friend Cynthia, who recently took up a new blog and a new writing class and has thus reminded me of what I used to be like. We worked together as editors in a tiny newsroom serving a big geographical area, and then after we parted jobs chose to take a writing class together too. I associate writing with her, and if she starts back up, maybe I need to start back up too.

Even if the best thing we got out of that last writing class was the phrase "Hershey Kiss nipples." You don't need to know the story; that will suffice.

I'm preparing to dig back in.

I Will Tri This Year -- Maybe

2011-02-01T17:07:00.002-06:00

It's been a full year since my triathlon training went haywire because of the Great Sickness of 2010. I could link to it but honestly don't feel like digging up the pneumonia-filled memories that plagued my life and my blog for several months.

Anyway, when I became sick, I had to recover and get my lungs back up to speed. Even after a few months I wasn't a sure thing, and my triathlon last August was pretty miserable: after a great swim my asthma kicked in -- likely because of the chest cold I had fought the week before -- and I ended up walking/trotting the run and promptly getting escorted to the medic tent when I crossed the finish line.

Prior to that, I full out quit a race in the middle of it because I just didn't want to race.

I haven't been excited about triathlons.

So it kinda surprised me and Brian when I signed up for a triathlon I swore I'd never do again, Pleasant Prairie.

I realized I'm already practicing three sports in my workout routine and have accepted, because I"m not really training, my time won't be as good. And that's OK. Admittedly, I also wanted to make sure I kept a part of "me" -- people know me for triathlons now! -- while I did all this wedding stuff. My part time job is the wedding, but I don't want it to completely define me this year.

Part of me signed up because I have a couple friends doing their first tris this year. A big part of me chose that race because it's at the end of June, which still gives me a couple months to heal before the wedding in case anything happens (knock on wood). And ultimately, I just don't want to skip a year of tri. They say you can call yourself a triathlete as long as you do one tri a year. Well, I'm fulfilling that requirement.

I also want the T-shirt.

You might be wondering why I hate the Pleasant Prairie race. My main gripe is the horrible swim conditions. Sure, it's in "beautiful Lake Andrea" which is "warm and spring-fed." But the lanes are poorly marked, causing swimmers from two directions to collide. You also race into the sun. If you haven't raced into the sun during morning hours, while wearing goggles and while dodging swimmers from the other direction coming at you, you're missing a whole new ballgame.

I also didn't like the parking situation or the food, but whatever. It's a triathlon that's placed perfectly according to my wedding schedule. I'm in!

(The "maybe" component to my headline is my recognizing that I just might not mentally want to do it. My rule is it has to be fun, and if it's not, screw it.)

Why You'll Like Longman & Eagle

2011-02-01T15:11:00.001-06:00

Everyone's talking about Longman & Eagle.

"You like bourbon? Go for the bourbon!" our catering manager (just booked!) told us a month ago.

"It has a Michelin star!" my colleague said.

And like all things in Chicago, if you hear of 3.5 hour waits at 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday, it must be good, right?

I'm happy to report it is really, really, good. And here's why: Instead of in-your-face offal whose purpose is to shock (Want beef tongue? Here's a slice in the shape of the tongue! tease the chefs behind Publican) or weighs you down so much come course No. 2 you don't want to eat anymore (hello, Incanto), L&E balances everything really well.

Braised oxtail combines to make the perfect bite with scallops and tiny gnocchi; a pot au feu of short rib, tenderloin, foie gras, and horseradish marrow is actually really light and cleanly presented, not to mention well balanced with a consomme and vegetables.Brian had cod with some typically heartier accompaniments, but we didn't roll out feeling greasy and gross. The intention of the cod was maintained, gosh darnit.

Sure, wild boar's on the menu. But it's in the form of sloppy joe. That's fun.

We went on a Saturday night just before 6 and waited a half hour. I'd add it to your List of must-tries.

Why I Think Vendors Like Brides Like Me

2011-02-01T14:58:00.001-06:00

I'm happy to report that wedding preparations continue to go swimmingly! Sure, there's been a little crisis aversion here or there (say, immediately retracting Brian's invitation to have his sister's family of five stay with us the week of our wedding), but all's going well. And importantly, my vendors are happy. At least they tell me so.

I want to keep my vendors happy not just because of my crush on them but because happy vendors equal personal motivation to do my wedding well. I'm trying to keep them happy by practicing a few genuine business rules:

Treating each interaction with them as I would any other professional meeting or conversation
Offering my opinions and requirements but listening and trusting theirs
Staying super organized and sharing any updates with them that might influence the plans we've created
Asking, what do you need from me in order to do your job?

I figure that if all goes to hell in August for whatever reason -- Acts of God, my own emotional stress, etc. -- I'll have enough planned and have built up enough goodwill to not anger them so much they do the equivalent of a waiter spitting in my food.

Everything I listed is really basic, but you've seen bridezillas: it's as if they check everything -- tact, grace, couth, professionalism -- at the door, leaving everyone else -- including the people they're paying to work -- as slaves to their emotions.

I'm probably prematurely tooting my own horn. They could hate me for all I know. Personally, I might have thought, "Jeez, woman, your wedding's in September" if I received a few of the emails I sent.

But whatever I'm doing, it's paying off, because our relationships are going really well. I'm going to try to keep it that way!

Vendor Crush

2011-01-05T19:24:00.003-06:00

I've noticed a certain glee that comes over me whenever I talk with any of my wedding vendors.

I want them to like me. I want to give them ideas that they'll like. Whenever they tell me they like an idea or praise me for being so organized I secretly hope it means I'm their No. 1 client (even if for the moment).

Egotism? Maybe. Only-child syndrome? Perhaps. But I truly feel like I'm surrounding myself with the cool kids who are amazingly talented, and by golly, I want to fit in.

I'm hiring them because they have good taste and good opinions. On top of it, we're making a point to work with people I genuinely would want to surround myself with anyway -- good people who I've decided could help me plan one of the most emotional days of my life or be at my side during that time. Man or woman, how horrible to think I would bore them or not inspire them!

At the end of the day, I get everything I do accomplished because I make decisions, I take the emotion out of it as much as possible, I have a clear vision, and I do my best treat our relationship as the business transaction it is.

Except for having my secret crushes. I wonder if they know?

The "Intro to Natural Family Planning" Classes Freak Me Out

2011-01-04T20:48:00.002-06:00

So Brian and I decided that it wouldn't feel like a wedding for us personally if we didn't get married in the Catholic church. And now the fruits of our decision are coming to light.

He was not only raised Catholic but went to Catholic school up until college. My parents are named Mary and Joseph -- and yes, they're just as devout as their names imply. No wonder anything but a church ceremony would feel awkward to us.

But awkward enough to make us endure a required "Natural Family Planning" class that dives into detail on the various methods to "help couples space, achieve, or avoid pregnancy?" Apparently, we're into torturing ourselves, because according to the class lineup based on the methodologies, Brian and I will discuss cervical mucus no fewer than 25 times.

I don't want to discuss cervical mucus with anyone.

The ironic part is that we don't want kids. We acknowledge that one day we might change our mind but know that in that case, we will be relying on modern medicine -- our doctors -- to help us out with that one.

The church, of course, knows this. What we think or feel doesn't matter. If we want a traditional wedding, we have to do things traditionally by taking the class.

And I'm surprised because ... ?

Wedding Sanity and a Smile

2011-01-01T15:18:00.001-06:00

The wedding is under control, and it's actually fun planning things now. We're proud to have accomplished the following:

Got the band.
Found a dress.
Booked a venue.
Secured a chapel.
Signed up a day-of coordinator.
Selected a photographer.
Put up a website.
Chose the wedding party.
Reserved hotel rooms.
Decided on the officiant.
Hired floral/event designer.
Nailed down the save-the-dates and invitation concepts.
Set up registries.
Started tastings with caterers.

The best part about it all is that everything is based now on what we want -- not how others would do it. We're in control of how this party comes out, and so far it's turning out to be a good one. And a lot of folks who are out of town sound like they're able and willing to attend, which makes my heart smile.

Here's to keeping my sanity and having fun in the next months ahead.

Happy New Year to Me, You

2011-01-01T15:11:00.002-06:00

We rang in the new year last night, and 2011 feels great.

2008 was pretty stressful. Then came 2009, which sucked too. The beginning of 2010 -- I'm recalling being part of a sinking ship (a.k.a. my job), then getting sick for three months -- was pretty shitty, and although I welcomed the layoff, it wasn't exactly fun job searching and being unemployed.

But then I decided to blow a few thousand on a trip to Italy, which was not only a great solo experience but ended up prompting Brian to propose. We got engaged, I got a new job I love, and now, as we start 2011, we're both healthy and planning a wedding.

I'm financially secure. I'm healthy. My parents are OK. His parents are OK. Brian's job is OK.

Life feels really, really, really good right now. Knock on wood.

Here's hoping 2011 is really, really good to you too.

Misleading Headlines, Misguided Content Strategy

2010-12-15T09:22:00.001-06:00

Here's a prime example of a headline that misleads its readers.

The Nice List: Santa's Top-Five Cities

Sounds cute, right? So you click on it and scan -- because that's what you do when you see a web page -- for the list that the headline promises, and .... no list for you!

The cities are actually in paragraph form.

Props to the headline writer for pulling me in; it's technically accurate and does its job. Boo to the writer or editor for not presenting it in list-form to begin with.

This is why it's important to take a step back and think about how you present information -- even stories about an imaginary person. :)

Content Strategy and Content Curation

2010-12-04T18:09:00.000-06:00

My former colleague Dan Blank just wrote a blog about the importance of curating content -- carefully selecting it and caring for it -- versus collecting content. As a content strategist whose boss likens our job to curating moreso than anything, I of course am on board with the distinction.

If you publish content somewhere, are you curating it or adding to a collection? Have a read and think about it.

What We're Like As A Wedding Couple

2010-11-26T17:36:00.000-06:00

As you read the upcoming posts -- which will inevitably entail details of my wedding since it began a 20-hour-a-week job -- just know the following:

Neither of us are "wedding people." I get excited hearing about my friends' plans, but I don't watch the plethora of shows and I didn't grow up with a diary devoted to my wedding day. Hell, I go in to each vendor meeting with such a variety ideas of what I'd be happy with that they probably wish I was one of those women who had all the details decided before they got engaged.
I hate event planning -- a reason why I have complete respect for event planners. Thankfully, I have project management skills at work, so I efficiently stay on schedule, stay calm and don't overburden Brian with details; I go to him on what we need. I'm also great at assigning tasks so I stay sane. Still, I promptly hired a day-of coordinator so I don't have to be point-person when shit hits the fan.
Food and photography are our priorities.
We're planning a friggin' awesome party.
Our honeymoon will kick ass.

Stay tuned ...

What's Up Since September and Why I'm Elated and Bitter

2010-11-26T17:29:00.000-06:00

Yikes! I last wrote in September, right before I started my new job. Here's what's been going on (although anyone reading this most likely knows):

I started my new job Sept. 13 and love it. I feel like I'm in the right place at the right time in my career, and it's a great feeling.
I turned 30 a few days later.
We took a fantastic trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley at the end of September ...
... And got engaged Oct. 2 on our last night there alongside a vineyard at dusk and right before a dinner at French Laundry.
We spent the month of October desperately searching for a wedding venue --- vineyard, barn, etc. -- that was available in 2011 in Southwest Michigan or Sonoma, Calif.
I got virtually no sleep the month of October because of this.
After much turmoil for multiple reasons, we decided on the one place in Chicago we imagined ourselves getting married and signed the contract Nov. 3 for a Friday night wedding in September 2011.
We are in full-out wedding-vendor immersion. Brian has hit a wall but has worked through it; I'm handling it well thanks to my project management skills. We're still trying to regulate our relatives.

That weekend we got engaged was one of the happiest in my life. Not only did we have a fantastic few days wine tasting, cycling and touring Napa Valley after a great night out in SF, but the guy I'm head over heels for officially picked me to marry him. I remember thinking that if the wedding left me 1/10 as happy as I was that weekend, I'd still consider myself the luckiest woman alive.

And then the most f-ing stressful and hurtful month began.

See, we did it the old fashioned way and didn't book a venue or pick a date ahead of time, which I still am happy with. But it lead to problems above of not being able to find a date within 18 months of our engagement.

Then we shared with our families our desire to get married in Sonoma, Calif. Both sides of the family had members tell us -- coincidentally in the same words! -- "If you get married in California, don't expect anyone to come."

Part of the concern came from family who referenced members wouldn't be able to afford it. No one cared that we had set aside money to pay for or at least largely pay for those people who we knew truly were unable.Another part of the complaint was that people just wanted a Chicago wedding so it would be easier for them -- a place they've wanted to visit.

And many of the people complaining didn't do an airfare or hotel check to realize that it would be cheaper to be a guest at our destination wedding than a Chicago wedding. But whatever, no one would consider coming, we were told.

Now, Brian and I are both independent adults used to making our own decisions. But I want you to try to plan a wedding and completely ignore the thought of having no one show up to your wedding out of spite.

It was a horrible pall that was cast over what's supposed to be an exciting time -- not to mention hurtful. Both Brian and I really took those words to heart. The way I describe it, it was the equivalent to someone saying, "If you do X, don't expect anyone to come to your funeral." There are other ways to convey concern or frustration, no?

The ironic part is that the family and friends who could afford the trip the least (and who they didn't know we would have helped pay) were the most supportive and never, if they did feel inconvenienced, let on. Brian and I will always remember that -- hell, it's how we got through October.

Ultimately we decided to not do California to not put anyone in a financially difficult situation. We ran the numbers and decided the cost of travel once we put up everyone or covered flights would get high and decided to go with Chicago. Little did we know that Chicago is such an expensive place to get married that we could have PAID for the VIPs who needed the help to come AND had the size and location wedding we wanted. But that's OK. It'll be great.

I get excited about our wedding, and ultimately all the decisions we're making are the ones we want. I know it'll be great. But I'm having a really difficult time getting over how hurtful our families were and that we had to give up the wedding we wanted.

It's not their fault. It's just hard to forget.

I'll write about the exciting fun stuff later.

The To-Do List is Done

2010-09-11T09:10:00.002-05:00

I can confidently say that I made the most of my months off of work. I did enough freelance work to keep me fresh; I learned to cook better and healthier. I exercised. I went to Europe. I met up with friends. I took care of annoying errands that are best done during the weekday, like going to the DMV for a new license and taking a car in for emissions.

I kept myself busy and stuck to my rules of unemployment: do something every day to find the right job; don't sleep in past 8 a.m.; no TV during the day; and my list above. And I still had plenty 'o' time to reflect and figure out what I wanted to do. I'm refreshed and ready to go, which is good, because I start my new job as a Web content strategist on Monday.

But during all these wonderful months off, I had a job search looming over my head. Yeah, I was confident I'd find something. But I never knew when, and gosh darn it, it took a lot of interviewing and thinking and researching to lead me to go all or nothing in what I new I wanted to do, content strategy.

Even while I explored Italy, I could never forget why I had the time to take a few weeks and a lot of money for a European vacation: I was laid off. Unemployed. When you travel by yourself, you tell your story to a lot. Say it enough times, and even the more confident of folks such as myself start to get a little self-conscious.

So this past week and a half since I accepted my new job has been brilliant, a weight lifted off my shoulders. I watched (some) TV during the day! I took trips to unhealthy food haunts like Hot Doug's, spent time at the Montrose dog beach (aka the happiest place on Earth), took a day trip to my childhood vacation spot, New Buffalo, Mich. (pictured above), and resumed meeting up with friends spur-of-the-moment, which I had curtailed because it gets expensive. It was a great week.

It's the perfect time to go back to work, because there's really not much left to do. I did it all! And during summer. It really couldn't have worked out better. I'm a blessed person.

Wish me luck on Monday!

What to Do With Tzatziki

2010-09-08T08:46:00.000-05:00

We made a tzatziki sauce over the weekend to go with a fantastic grilled lamb recipe Brian does. We loved the tzatziki so much we made it again Monday night and have been on a binge ever since.

A few winners:

Tzatziki atop a bison burger on wheat with tomato. Grilled veggies on the side.

Tzatziki as pasta sauce. I added browned ground lamb that I seasoned with mint, rosemary, lemon, salt and pepper and then topped it with fresh, chopped tomato. It worked! Glass of milk optional. :)

If you have other ideas, let me know!

JOB!

2010-09-07T08:50:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to me: A week from today I will be in my second day at a new job as a Web content strategist at the National Association of Realtors. My new job's home base: www.realtor.org. The office home base: Michigan Avenue.

How excited am I? I'm getting paid to do what I love, the people seem really great and I'll get to flex a fresh brain. Life is good!

Another perk: Brian and I will have something fresh to talk about again as a opposed to a boring recount of my day. Not too much drama in a job search, light freelance schedule and workout routine!

I can honestly say I've made the most of my time. I kept my skills fresh with some freelance consulting and did what everyone wants to do when they're working and can't take the time to vacation: travel, read, cook, visit friends and explore -- all while looking for a job.

Unemployment Mission Accomplished.

Last Night's Dinner: No-Recipe Stir-Fry

2010-09-01T08:52:00.000-05:00

This is what you do with leftovers! The list included:

-- Corn, jicama, red bell pepper, red onion and lime salsa
-- Snow peas
-- White jasmine rice
-- Carrots

I bought chicken, marinated it in low-sodium teriyaki sauce and stir-fried it in the wok -- my first time using one (loved it!). I set that aside, dumped all the veggies in, and made a sauce with sesame oil, honey, fish sauce, soy sauce and just a little "classic stir-fry sauce" I found in our fridge.

Next, I dumped the rice in, and voila -- a tasty and not-too-salty (considering the ingredients) stir-fry.

The jicama did scare me -- I'd only had it cold and in salads and was afraid it would be the ingredient that didn't make sense. Turns out, it provided a perfect crunch and texture similar to water chestnuts. I think the lime from the salsa added a refreshing twist, too, although at first it was a little too tangy -- that's when I added the honey.

I'd like to credit the dump-it-all technique for this recipe's success. :)

Last Night's Dinner: 'Fiery' Tilapia with Cucumber-Snow Pea Salad

2010-08-31T16:43:00.002-05:00

I put together last-night's dinner from several recipes, mainly Allrecipes.com's "Fiery Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa." I didn't want the calories from taco shells, so I just pan-fired the tilapia in Brian's grandmother's cast iron skillet with some olive oil. Yum.

I intended to mix the salsa with the white jasmine rice but left it separated, Brian's preference; for what it's worth, he ended up mixing them together, and it tasted great. It balanced the tilapia well. I was afraid the recipe's spice mix of cayenne, pepper and salt would be scathing hot, but it wasn't.

I chose the cucumber and snow pea salad because I wanted something green, cold and with lime, to match the salsa. I have Bill Granger's "Everyday" to thank for that recipe.

Tonight's dinner will feature many of the same vegetables, some leftover rice and chicken. We'll see what I come up with.

Girl & The Goat's Good!

2010-08-31T10:51:00.002-05:00

I haven't told you about Girl & The Goat: It's good!

Earlier I wrote about being a little nervous that the restaurant would be "too much girl and not enough goat," my response to Stephanie Izard's face's being plastered all over the Web site -- clearly capitalizing on her "Top Chef" win. Would the highlight be the food, or the fact we're eating at a TV personality's (albeit a very likable one's) restaurant?

But I was wrong. Her seafood and vegetable dishes offer refreshing surprises; I'd compare her meat selections to that of other quality offal-loving chefs, such as Paul Kahan's at Publican.

Take this surprise as an example: light and fluffy chickpea fritters without a hint of grease, set atop cherry-size heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella -- what ended up being my favorite dish. A close second: the spicy, grilled baby octopus mixed with beans and a lemon-pistachio vinaigrette.

We also really liked the veal, goat and something-else sugo -- homemade thick pasta with meat that had a pulled-pork consistency -- and the pig face, which is like you'd guess, kinda like pork belly.

My least favorite dish ended up being a dessert Brian loved: a goat-cheese cheesecake with blueberries. I could barely swallow it; Brian nearly licked the tourine.

The atmosphere is sophisticated-casual as most gastropubs are these days, but unfortunately it's loud; get ready to yell your way through the meal. Still, we were seated promptly at our reservation time despite the full-house, and the service was great. When so many things are right, it's hard to pick a fight over the noise.

So Stephanie Izard's food really is as good as it looks on TV, and watching her expedite, she seems just as calm as she appeared. Good for her!

We'll be back.

The 'Hot Racing Mess' Who Finished

2010-08-30T10:27:00.003-05:00

I present to you my divisional results (Women 30-34) for the individual legs of the sprint distance Chicago Triathlon, which took place along the lakefront yesterday. Can you guess when I had the asthma attack?

Swim (1/2 mile): 17th of 219

Bike (13.7 miles): 22nd of 219

Run (3.1 miles): 215 of 219

I guess it was a sign I wasn't in tip-top shape when, right before we started the race, a spectator heard me coughing and joked to me that I should have laid off the cigarettes the morning of the race.

As soon as I got in the water, I could tell I couldn't inhale to full lung capacity. That said, it's really easy for me to control my breathing in swimming, so I just plowed ahead and got on a roll! The water was 72 degrees, and I had fresh arms. It felt like last year: a perfect swim.

I passed nearly everyone in my wave and started to take on the next; by 14 minutes, 33 seconds, I was out of the water (if you look up my time, it includes the 2? 3? block run to transition area, during which I saw a few people sprint past me -- still came in 17th though).

After transition, I hopped on my bike and dealt with the same southwest headwind both directions --a pain in the ass on any day. A quarter of the way I could tell my lack of lung strength was starting to take a toll. I was also shivering, despite guzzling water all morning and an already-warm air temperature.

The last half of the bike race I didn't feel like I was "racing" anymore, just getting through it -- and not because of muscle fatigue, which is typical: just my lungs and that shivering thing. I began to think of quitting, which felt like a brilliant idea -- until I imagined having to tell people I quit the race. Do I listen to my body? Or am I being too sensitive and not strong enough mentally? Will I get pneumonia again if I keep stressing my lungs?

By the time I got off the bike, I felt dizzy and sauntered to my transition spot to get my run gear on, coaching myself on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. Three minutes and something-seconds later (a long-ass transition time) I slowly walked to the start line of the run portion, feeling dazed. At this point, I was 98 percent of the way to giving up.

A woman saw me walking (still on the course), stepped in front of me and said, agitated, "Did you finish the race?" The look I gave her answered her question. By the time I saw Brian, maybe about a city block-length, I was taking off my race number.

The first thing I said to him was, "I don't feel good. I don't want to get pneumonia again." Then I started crying. And then I felt like a loser.

Brian told me I could quit and he wanted me to be healthy, and getting that confirmation made me not want to quit. So, I put on a long-sleeve T-shirt he'd brought along to warm up and began walking the 3.1 miles.

Thing is, Brian wouldn't let me do it alone. He spent the next 3 miles at my side, walking or trotting with me with a backpack on, which isn't easy. He later told me it wasn't just for support but to make sure nothing happened to me, which was good, because the next 47 minutes featured me gasping for air, stopping, breathing in through my nose deeply and out through my mouth, coughing, then trying to run/trot once my breath was regulated, only to have to walk again -- a hot racing mess.

I didn't mention Brian has been fighting a cold too. What a guy...

I picked up the pace toward the end when I saw the finish and actually had to stop short of the finish line to try to breathe. I crossed the finish line, went into full-blown attack mode, heard my dad call my name, waved to him, then was ushered by triathlon medical staff into the medic tent, where an awesome and very nice crew gave me an Albuterol treatment and oxygen.

I had an easy time -- someone finished the race and began having seizures. You can see the medic team that worked on me working on that person here.

I summarized the race in a Facebook update and got kudos from several friends, one even calling me inspirational. It's really touching, but honestly, I call it stupid more than anything. I'm glad I started the race, even if I wasn't in the greatest shape; I tried. But once the asthma kicked in full-force, I shouldn't have continued. It's not healthy! And if I grew worse, the chaos on the course could have messed up other people, too, or taken resources away from more serious cases.

In case you're wondering, I didn't bring my inhaler because I didn't even think of it. I use inhalers temporarily when I'm fighting something like bronchitis or pneumonia, and although I should have taken one with me, just in case, I didn't even put two and two together that a chest cold from last week could trigger an asthma attack during a race. Again, stupid.

It's a race I'd rather forget; I finished almost a half hour after I normally do. Brian says he's more proud of me for finishing this race than any other. I'm trying hard to forget the time, even if I still managed to finish ahead of a lot of people who were perfectly healthy.

There's always next year. :)

A special shout out to:
* The medic team. So sharp and on the lookout, I have been taking their standby assistance for granted each race.
* Brian. Duh. Not only did he do a 5K with me spur-of-the-moment, but I thanked him by leaving in the medic tent his Oakley sunglasses he lent me. Sheesh. Yes, I probably could have crossed the finish line without him, but I would not have been as strong. He's there for every race I do.
* My parents, who not only came out to the race but had to watch their daughter gasping for air and disappear with doctors. They also waiting a long time while we collected my gear to drive me home.
* The random people who saw me struggling and called out my race number, cheering for me to "stay strong," "keep it up" and "walk through it." Admittedly, I was annoyed when, while coughing and heaving, some of 'em yelled, "You're lookin' good!" but that's my problem: they were trying to be nice and pry didn't even realize the irony of the cheer they chose to yell.

And to the fellow racer who looked at me and Brian as she passed and said, VERY snarkily, as we walked, "You know you're in the middle of a triathlon, right?":

I finished, bitch.

Race Day's Around the Corner ...

2010-08-27T13:19:00.001-05:00

It's another gorgeous day and another opportunity to work out, but I'm holding back. I haven't worked out in a week because I've been sick. Now, I'm just about well, but considering I have the Chicago Triathlon Sunday, I can't afford a relapse and am trying to play it safe.

You generally taper yourself before a race, shortening your workouts' duration and intensity closer to the event. I'm dying to get a little something in -- I want to move! And it's stunning outside! -- but if I go harder than I should, I don't have enough time to recover before the big day.

At this point, my race -- .5 mile swim, 14 mile bike and 3.1 mile run -- will be my first workout in a week and a half. We'll see how this goes!

Perk: Two of my longest-time friends and recent triathlete converts will be racing too. I gotta show up!

Are You A Content Strategist?

2010-08-25T15:06:00.002-05:00

Since I've been writing and talking about content strategy with my colleagues, I've gotten a surprising amount of feedback.

One feature-writer friend said, "Hey, I think I'm a content strategist!" Another journalist friend directed her journalist friend to my blogs because she suspected she found an alternate name for his newspaper job. Another non-journalist friend had no idea what content strategy was but found it fascinating.

So do you think you're a content strategist? Or do you care enough to click to learn more? Check out the presentation posted today at The Content Wrangler, a blog I check into once in a while. The slideshow's called "Why Every CMO Needs to Know About Content Strategy," but I say you should check it out because of the easy-to-follow overview it gives of content strategy and because, at the very least, you're a consumer and should know how and why businesses deliver information to you, specifically online.

Goal: Resume Control of Dinner Ingredients

2010-08-25T09:59:00.003-05:00

I've had a bad cold this week, which means I've pretty much been rendered useless, and by choice; I need to get better, and considering I'm not working full-time, I'll take the rest that I can get! Consequently, I'm not cooking dinners in the evening, a role I've voluntarily and happily assumed three or four days of the week.

When I cook these days, it means I'm using as little packaged food as possible. I'm whipping up recipes impromptu in the store, and our meals are balanced because I want them to be. We've been eating well! And considering Brian and I lost more weight after we'd already established a workout routine, I'm happy to credit the non-processed food goal with that result.

But now I'm sick, which means Brian's in charge of dinner. Brian can whip up mouthwatering three- or four-course meals that require techniques and kitchen tools with foreign names. Middle of the week? Particularly after a really stressful day (typical when you're a trader)? He specializes in a walk to Subway, or like last night, grilling a pre-made bison burger. Not bad at all, but when you're on an anti-pre-made-food streak, it can be hard to stomach.

Don't get me wrong: I totally appreciate his taking care of me when I'm sick and grilling me a burger. I didn't mention he offered to pick up whatever I needed, and when I refused, still bought me miso soup (my favorite sick food these days) and other treats to make me feel better. And he does indeed make really wonderful food during the week too when the mood strikes.

I just wish it were easier to keep the non-processed trend going.

The funny thing is, it's not like he's totally unhealthy! When we first met, I was shocked that a guy could buy so much organic food or request to order out or make "something healthy" so often. I would eat healthy, but in a low-fat kinda way. I can't say that I always approved of the money he'd drop at Whole Foods on one of his big, special dinners because I didn't see the value.

Now I'm the one encouraging us to spend my unemployment check on organic and fresh foods and, for the most part, resist the indulgences I was always happy to succumb to (specifically Skinny Cow ice cream). I'd rather make the banana bread homemade than buy the fake stuff.

But you can't do that sick.

So here's hoping I get better soon! The next four days entail a second-round interview, celebrating Brian's birthday at Girl & The Goat, being a guest at a wedding and a triathlon. And hopefully, I can resume control of dinner ingredients. :)

Content Strategy to the Rescue: A Look at OnlytheBestinChicago.com

2010-08-20T12:15:00.008-05:00

The client I'm supposed to meet with right now just sent me a photo of himself sitting in a hospital bed, thankfully with a can-you-believe-this? smirk on his face and not looking dead.

I have no clue what's going on with poor Walter and assume he's at least somewhat OK given he's texting; hopefully he wasn't on the way to see me when whatever happened happened. Meanwhile, I'm selfishly bummed because I was pretty jacked up and ready to talk about his site, whose content I'll be spiffing up (I think I'll survive the wait).

If you need a host, bartender, coat-checker or anything of the sort for a party, Walter's your guy. But you wouldn't necessarily know that off the bat if you visit his Web site, OnlyTheBestInChicago.com.

Click to enlarge

Take a look at what he's got so far; he has a great start. The design is clean and sophisticated, which is important for his upper-class and corporate clientele; his information is grouped into easy-to-navigate and clearly labeled pages (Home, About Us, Services and Contact Us); and the site doesn't have the type of typos or grammatical errors that complicate his message and are typical in similar small-business copy.

Content Strategy to the Rescue
Yet if I stumbled upon his site, I wouldn't know what his business could do for me unless I had the time to browse the pages -- and you can't assume I do. A strategic changes to the content, however, can help, and he wouldn't even have to change the structure of his site.

Take the home page, for example. The main thing I get from it is that he believes in customer service, is excited to have me visit the site and is dedicated to helping me.

It's all very noble, and those sentiments can definitely have a place on a home page. But what services is he selling? Yes, it says hospitality at the top of the page, but there are a lot of types of hospitality. And where are these services available? If I find his site and am in New Jersey, can this business help me?

Not only are these missing keywords making it difficult for the user to understand what his business can do for him or her, the search engines are equally confused. SEO will definitely be a part of the prescription.

The services page is much more on target in terms of content; a visitor can quickly understand what Walter's business offers, and those keywords help search engines too. That said, I'd like to see a conversational but short introduction to the page reiterating quality and customer service; summarizing the services; and telling me where he can help me -- all in about a sentence or two.

I like the bullet approach but would want to keep the construction parallel. Also, when I talk to him I'm going to see what services fall under the "and much more" category. I'm still wondering how large or small these events can be and who his partners, if any, are. There are other little tidbits to fill in, and all that info --the gist of it, that is -- we can use to clarify the home page too.

When I spoke with Walter initially he mentioned wanting to play up his 15 years of industry experience, which is a great idea for the About Us section. I like this page and think reiterating the team's commitment to quality is important here. Although, off the top of my head though I wonder what those hours are about -- customer service contact hours I assume, because I know his party services do not end at 5 p.m. :)

And finally, I'd like to work on the Contact Us page. I'd want to know as a site visitor what that form is for. Is it to schedule an appointment? Get more information? It says "to be added to a customer list," but at this point, there's no impetus to join any customer list and frankly, it turns me off as a visitor. I want info, not to join your mailing list if I barely know you.

I'm curious about the coding for his site and all other things SEO, and of course I want to know about his goals. Sure I can help him with the copy and strategy as it exists, but we can brainstorm other Web site features and social media reach that might be useful for his business too.

They're some of the many reasons I can't wait to finally get to talk with him -- after he's recovered of course. Content strategy is awesome, but we want him well first.

Related: The Gospel of Content Strategy: The Word's Spreading?

Italy Highlights, Group 3 of 3: Chianti Countryside and Florence

2010-08-09T09:51:00.003-05:00

The last of three groups of photo highlights from my Italy trip is ready for your viewing pleasure. There are fewer photos this time around, this time covering Chianti countryside and a few parting shots of Florence.

That might be me riding the boar.

It's been a pleasure sharing. Enjoy this last round.

Links to the other albums:
Group 1 Highlights: Florence and Venice
Group 2 Highlights: Cinque Terre, Lucca, Siena and more of Florence

I Quit A Race. Am I Un-American?

2010-08-08T16:26:00.006-05:00

This morning was the Bangs Lake Multisport Festival, where I registered to do an aquabike -- a 1.5k swim and a 38k bike. I call it Sara's God's Gift to Racing because I don't train on the run well.

As I wrote yesterday, I was totally unprepared for the race but decided to go anyway. I even thought deeply about it, writing that I do races because of motivating factors such as my mother's health problems.

Well, that's deep 'n' shit, but I found out the real reason this morning: they're fun. I could get my health kicks doing myriad physical activities, but you don't get up at 4 a.m. and hit the water before 7 without some enjoyment in the competition and accomplishment.

Lest you get the impression I skipped through the race with a smile on my face and determination this morning, the truth is I chose to only do the swim and ... not finish the race.

GASP! I feel so un-American. Who quits a race? I should be writing about how visions of my mother in pain inspired me to grit through my own mental block and how I knew that I'd feel shitty with a big ol' DNF (did not finish) next to my name in the race results. I should tell you that the pep talks talking to my fellow-athlete friends this week worked.

To a degree they did -- after all, I did show up after weeks of doubt.

I think the decision was technically made for me before I went to Italy, when I realized how far off my training goals were and knew I'd never catch up. When I chose to order three courses at dinner for two weeks and walk around sampling gelato three times a day in lieu of swimming, biking and running (and no, my bike tour through Tuscan countryside -- a clever way of sampling wine and olive oil -- didn't count), I knew I wasn't setting myself up for success this season.

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I thought was, I don't want to do this -- not in a dreadful way, but in a I-don't-care kinda way. The only dreadful thing I could think of was trudging through a race I knew I was capable of doing better.

So why did I even show up? And why did I confirm my registration this week -- already in full-on doubt mode -- after a snafu showed I hadn't yet been charged for the race?

It's because I'm an optimist and have it engrained in me that you should never, ever quit unless it's absolutely necessary. Broken appendages. Malaria. A death in the family the day before. I can't say all the athletes I hang around are hard-core, but they fall into the give-it-your-all group. Heck, even when I say I do races for fun, part of that fun is knowing I've done what I can to put in a good showing, even if only for myself.

People who don't quit are celebrated. People who do quit? I'm guessing they generally don't talk about it unless they have one of aforementioned good excuses.

I'm actually proud of decision because I know this one race doesn't make or break me, just like this off-season of sorts doesn't ruin my chances at future success. But am I afraid a potential client or employer or athletic compadre will read this and think of me as a quitter, someone who can't get over a mental hurdle? Absolutely, even if I have a thousand reasons to defend my decision and character ("I was exhibiting signs of malaria." J/k).

On the shuttle bus to the race start, a cheerful woman sat next to me and asked, "So, are you ready?"

"Actually, no!" I replied. "I haven't really trained, so we'll see how this goes."

"Me too!" she said. "But after all, you do it for fun, right?"

Absolutely. And that's why I will NOT be hopping on that bike, I thought.

I had fun giving it my all at the end of the swim because I knew I didn't have to conserve energy or breath for the bike. I had fun looking down at my watch to see I shaved two and a half minutes off my time. And I had fun packing up my transition area knowing I didn't have to do that hilly ride!

See? A good time was had by all.

Triathlons: Not Just Because I Want the Finisher's Medal

2010-08-07T17:51:00.007-05:00

(No time to fix formatting ... but you can still read text below).

I'm signed up for this year's Chicago Triathlon and tomorrow's Bangs Lake Aquabike, and given this training season has gone to shit thanks to pneumonia, a crazy work schedule and yes (by my choosing), a jaunt to Europe, it's been hard to talk myself into showing up to the starting line for either.

This week's Chicago Triathlon e-newsletter update though forced me to spell out my answer. Event organizers asked for triathletes' special reasons for doing the race. Here's what I sent in:

It's easy to say I do them because they're fun or that I hold a special place in my heart for the post-race food tent (who doesn't love PB&J on white bread?).

But what keeps me signing up and gets me to the start line -- especially during a year like this one, when I'm less than prepared -- is the thought of not having the ability to do one.

My mom's disabled, and she couldn't do one if she wanted. There are people who don't have the money to sink into the registration or the gear, and they couldn't do one.

I figure as long as I have the means and the basic health, I should make the most of it. After all, one day I might not have the ability, and how would I feel knowing I didn't take advantage of the opportunity when I could?

So, contrary to the reasons I thought I was going to tough it out -- the feeling you get from crossing the finish line, knowing that I at least tried, not wasting the $$$ registration fee, the free swag, the finisher's medal (true to my Gen Y generation!) -- triathlons do have a deeper meaning for me.

***

As for tomorrow's race, I'm going. The temperature will be in the low 90s (even in the morning), and I haven't been cycling with the necessary intensity to put in a good fight. But, this same race last year was my toughest yet most successful ever (I came in 15th of 60 overall) despite equally high temps, wind and hills I didn't expect.

I figure if I don't finish I'll know I tried -- and hopefully, they'll let me have a PB&J sandwich too.

Baby Steps to Better Cooking, Courtesy Italy

2010-08-06T15:27:00.001-05:00

Since I experienced Italian food, I have a completely new appreciation for ingredients and simple cooking -- and it's not just because I upped my wine consumption.

I've always been a fan of basic dishes -- I'm the person who couldn't follow a recipe if my life depended on it and hates cooking anything with more than five ingredients -- but the country inspired me to get more creative on my own and not stick to the basics I've mastered. This means I walk into the store, pick out a protein based on what looks good, and compose from there. Admittedly I pretend I'm walking around Florence's mercado centrale. And it works!

Last night's example: The catfish filets looked good, which reminded me we wanted to pan-fry fish using Brian's grandmother's skillet. Easy -- throw in little olive oil and garlic and we're done. At the store I decided to pair the fish with roasted vegetables, which I seasoned on-the-spot with garlic powder, onion salt, coriander and mustard powder. For a starch, I took jasmine rice and mixed it with black pepper, coriander, cumin, a little cinnamon and salt.

OK, so maybe it's not Italian, but it's something.

Other dishes since I've been back: homemade pesto with Tuscan bread; homemade bruschetta with Tuscan bread; Tuscan bread with pecorino romano cheese, arugula and truffle oil (mimicking a sandwich I had in Florence); and ... yeah, other things with Tuscan-style bread, and then some.

Last night I used lemon fettucine from the Cinque Terre co-op and tossed it with shrimp, olive oil and garlic I had sauteed. And it was wonderful. I felt Italian! I patted myself on the back.

None of this is original (except for the roasted vegetable seasoning combo) but it's original for me. And I probably wouldn't have gotten to this point if I didn't have as much free time or as flexible of a schedule as I do now. I know I sure don't have enough patience or creative juices left in me at the end of a long work day to walk into a store and let the ingredients guide me.

Until work picks up or I join a company full time, I'm going to try to stick to it. Hopefully food-on-a-whim will become habit. We shall see.

Italy Highlights: Group 2 of 3, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Siena and yes, more Florence

2010-08-02T10:03:00.002-05:00

Ciao, ciao

I present to you the second of three groups of Italy highlights. Enjoy!

(See the first group here.)

Italy Photo Highlights, Part 1 of 3

2010-07-27T12:54:00.003-05:00

I took 1,909 photos in two weeks and wittled them down to a digestible 500 for folks' viewing pleasure.

This is the first of three groups. Enjoy.

(I released the second group. See it here.)

The Publishing Question We Need to Stop Repeating

2010-07-27T12:47:00.002-05:00

On my way home from the gym today I listened to a BBC World segment on NPR about e-book publishing and how it needs to work itself out: readers need more books, writers need their fair share of royalties and publishing companies need to catch up after all the time spent in denial that e-books would become competition.

Of course I'm always interested in these reports, but inevitably the reporter questions, "Is this the end of publishing as we know it?"

Really? We're still asking that question?

"The end of publishing as we know it," if you're the type to go with such doomsday scenarios, occurred when Joe America gained access to the Internet.

And we're not going to come up with a one-size-fits-all answer to media. Just like magazines filled gaps that newspaper left, technology will continue to fill gaps print leaves behind. And just as I'm going to tap multiple media for information -- sometimes print magazines, sometimes the Internet, sometimes and e-book, sometimes a mobile app, to name a few -- one of those forms isn't going to completely disappear.

Too Much "Top Chef?"

2010-07-26T17:42:00.003-05:00

I just made reservations to Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Goat for Brian's birthday in August. We liked her food on "Top Chef," which is why we want to go.

Not surprisingly, the menu sounds good, but I gotta admit: all those photos are distracting. They're selling her personality and not the food, which is the part I really care about, even if I really did think she seemed cool personally.

Which makes me wonder about the eatery: Too much girl and not enough goat?

The Gospel of Content Strategy: The Word's Spreading?

2010-07-26T15:48:00.005-05:00

I'm happy to report that, in addition to the two people who contacted me about content strategy while I was in Italy, job boards for full-time and temporary work seem to be turning up more content strategy postings, contractual and full time. Can I get an Amen?

Content strategy has been part of my job for years, yet I only began billing myself as a content strategist about 8 months ago. When I launched a job search and expanded my freelancing, I tried to search for such positions, but they were nearly non-existent.

I'd go on interviews, where I realized talking content strategy with chief editors and publishers was an awkward subject, mostly because they couldn't speak to it -- frustrating as a colleague, a content strategist and a job seeker/freelancer. I understand it's a new term, so I'm patient. But the concept is important, so it's really important to me that people "get it."

It used to be you just churned copy and put packages of information in one place. For a while now, that hasn't been enough: you have to coordinate all that information across all those channels we're accustomed to: online channels, print outlets, radio and TV.

What you put out there has to be meaningful to people; it has to have value. If the user isn't getting something out of whatever you created (and I don't care if it's the flashiest of Flash designs, the swankiest of podcasts), they're not likely to come back for more, talk about it, remember it, remember you.

When we first started Housing Giants digital publication, we put up a lot of content that was flashy but not value-driven. Gradually, we wisened up on where we spent our resources and limited the fancy interactive elements to what would be really meaningful.

Sounds basic, right? We were blinded by the wonders of technology, so it took us a while to figure out the best way to deliver content to each of our audiences to make them care, as opposed to figuring out the most creative way to put up a pie chart.

That's part of the gospel of content strategists, and all indications are pointing to an uptick in content strategy positions in this evolving discipline. Let's keep those discussions going!

A Toast to Italian Food: Part I of ???

2010-07-22T22:52:00.002-05:00

I'm back from an amazing trip to Italy, and before I write about it, I thought I'd pass along some food photos. After all, that's what this trip was about: Some people tote a sightseeing guidebook; I carried a food lovers' guide to Florence.

I had a food rule I was able to follow about 98% of the time: choose restaurants without English on the menu. This usually got me eating surrounded by Italians and tasting the authentic stuff. If I saw the words "pasta with red sauce," I went the other way.

A great thing about Italy is that even crappy food at the bottom of the chain -- at train stations or right at the steps of a well-photographed statue, i.e. restaurants with English menus -- tasted good. Amen to wonderful ingredients!

I summarize my experience this way: At my favorite restaurant, I didn't want to ask for their bruschetta recipe; I wanted to know where they bought their tomatoes.

And without further adieu, a few photos highlights. It's a cruel transition from Italian food to American food. Thankfully I have photos to remind me of all those wonderful bites. Here's part I of ?:

Italians have un caffe -- an espresso -- and a pastry for breakfast, and although I actually missed my whole-grain-cereal-with-fruit breakfast from home, I always had room for this Nutella-filled treat at Cafe Pacskowski (sp?).

I have no clue how many pounds of tomatoes I consumed, but they were all amazing.

One of my first meals at what would become my favorite restaurant, Osteria Antica Mestica in San Niccolo. Clockwise from the right: crostini Toscani, beans in olive oil and what I call "tripe three ways." All are typical Tuscan favorites -- as is the vino della casa.

A working man's lunch near San Lorenzo market: panini with lamprodotto, the second part of the cow's stomach. The sandwich has a spicy red salsa with a parsley sauce on top.

Market special at Mercado Centrale!

A wonderful shrimp, avocado and lemon salad at Fiesolano in Fiesole -- refreshing, beautiful.

Pizza w/ artichoke, ham, porcini mushrooms and olives. Love the thin crust, which is the pretty much the only way I saw it.

"Un cappucino, per favore." I thought they all came with hearts. 'Tis not so!

And there are more, but I'm jet lagged and exhausted. Stay tuned!

Life Is So Good I'm Using a Friggin' Rainbow to Illustrate It

2010-06-23T23:46:00.008-05:00

View from our rooftop after tonight's storm

I made two decisions recently:

1) Don't rush into my next job.

2) Book a trip to Italy.

The first comes after realizing I have the means to take the time off, so I'm going to. I have a little bit of a cushion in terms of finances, and I want to take a job that will make me really, really happy and give me what I'm passionate about.

The second is part of the above: Get away! Stimulate the senses! Take an adventure by myself and do what I want!

I booked an apartment for two weeks in Florence to sink my teeth in and use it as a base for day trips. Of course my time is filling up more than I wanted, but I'm doing my best to strike a balance between being on the road and layzing around -- specifically sitting in a cafe wearing a cute outfit while sipping an espresso, people watching and and writing my travel thoughts on napkins.

That's what I like to do when I travel. I don't have to be digesting a textbook worth of history or get led around by a jovial tour guide, although both can be fun. Instead, my number one goals it to find a neighborhood cafe that will become part of my daily routine -- a place where I can scribble (I'm constantly composing in my head when I travel solo) and then photograph it before I leave. The photo will inevitably stand in whatever my next work desk is, and I'll think back to those carefree hours I spent composing and drifting and daydreaming about Brian back home.

I'm going without Brian because, on a basic level, I have the time off of work for vacation and he doesn't. But I didn't let the sad thought of being without him for two weeks (did I mention I tear up when I think about it for more than 10 seconds?) stop me from going because I need an adventure. He's still invited but not without my getting time to myself to do what I want and just.get. lost. I used to travel solo all the time! And while I wouldn't trade my travels with Brian for anything, I miss going at it on my own.

I might look back on 2010 and say the year I turned 30 was crazy: illness, a layoff, a bad-fit job, a spur-of-the-moment trip to Italy and who knows what else. But it's all good, and for that I'm lucky. Heck, getting laid off worked well because I wanted to move on in my career and hadn't found a job worth quitting for; getting so sick convinced me to eat organically as much as possible and get off the cray triathlete track; and that job that didn't work out told me to reject a position that didn't have what I'm passionate about: creative editorial.

Of course, my good attitude wouldn't be possible without the financial turnaround I experienced in the past year, supportive friends and the most encouraging boyfriend you could possibly imagine. Yeah, a year ago, my debt was so high God only knows what job I would have stuck with just to pay the bills. And those friends who I consider family? They said "Good for you!" and "I'm impressed!" when I told them I chose unemployment and devoted a chunk of my severance to Italy.

I never had to defend myself. You know how big of a difference that makes? It means not sounding stressed when I tell my story, walking taller and sleeping better at night. It's nice when you don't have to take a fuck-ya'll-I'm-doin'-it-and-I'll-prove-it's-the-right-move mentality.

Brian wants me to do what will make me happy and has supported me 1000%. How could I not walk on air when I have him behind me? I leave the country knowing we keep getting stronger -- and this will make us stronger too.

So despite being a little in flux, life is good, and I'm genuinely happy.

2010 Part II: Bring It On.

A Toast To New Beginnings, Version 2.5.2

2010-06-06T20:22:00.002-05:00

I last posted weeks ago about getting a new job. Since then, I've been working really long hours and giving my all, leaving me little time to workout or see Brian, let alone blog.

Here's my update: last week I gave my two weeks notice. That's crazy!, I hear you say. I think so too. The truth is, I took the job and realized the job responsibilities are not what I understood them to be -- and what I thought I wanted just didn't feel right.

It's no one's fault. The team and I interviewed each other, asking a zillion questions with growing excitement each time we were on the same page. Due diligence was done.

I just had to start the job to realize it wouldn't be right. Specifically: I need to have ownership of creative projects, such as creating editorial packages with lots of visuals and interactive elements. My current job has me brainstorming and helping other people do that until a special project happens to come along.

There were other permanent aspects of the job that wouldn't change that influenced me too. To make sure I wasn't just reacting on emotion -- the learning curve for the position is steep and the first couple weeks are overwhelming -- I consulted with mentors, talked to friends in HR, held proactive conversations with my managers and even quantified my unhappiness (I have a great formula, btw, if you're ever considering leaving a job).

I'm confident in my decision but regret the stress it'll put on the team and the money the company lost in training me. It was an investment in my time and emotion too. No one wants to quit in a situation like this.

But it was the right move, one that I've been told is much more common than I realize. And I'm psyched I know what I'm passionate about and what gets me ticking (visual, visual, visual -- and hopefully content dealing with food, Chicago or something of the sort).

Upward and onward: it'll work out! Maybe now I can tackle that list ...

I have a job!

2010-04-28T18:34:00.002-05:00

This is old news to my close friends but news to the blog: I have a job! And it's a great one, in a dream work environment, with people who I want to hug when I see. Starting Monday I'll be an editor at Imagination, a custom publisher and content marketing agency in the city, right on the foodie street no less.

What I love about this position is that it combines my project management and editing skills with my multimedia background and interests. The client I'm working on is kick-ass, too.

It was a serendipitous series of events that I won't detail now, but it all worked out, and that's what's awesome.

Wish me luck!

My rules for being unemployed

2010-04-22T11:38:00.002-05:00

So you might have been able to tell that I'm a pretty happy camper thus far about my company's shuttering last Friday. Still the case! That said, the sun won't shine forever (this week's rays have brightened up the world even more), and I'm more than aware that all this free time that comes with freedom could potentially lead to boredom, laziness and bumminess. I don't want to get to that point! So I set a few personal guidelines for myself:

Don't stay up past 11 p.m. during the week. This is key in getting enough sleep while not overspending time in bed, part of my next goal;
Don't stay in bed mid-week past 8 a.m. I don't want to find my day out of whack and wasted. And the closer to normal my schedule is now, the easier it'll be for me to go back to work.
No daytime TV! OK, there will be exceptions, I'm sure, but I don't want to become a couch potato. Too much of that, for me personally, is a slippery slope to unhealthiness.

All that means that I will be keeping busy. Here's my list of what to do if I find myself waning on ideas:

Make a job contact or connection every weekday. Alternatively, do something proactive toward a new position every day. While covering a work/life conference for HR professionals, one speaker said she recommends job searchers "cast a pebble" each day, the theory being that pebbles that fall into water make ripples, and the more ripples, the more possibilities for a new job. I don't want to overstress myself -- there are plenty of sags in momentum that can leave you with downtime -- but I want to make sure my efforts are consistent and quality.
Work out every day (or at least 6 times a week). And if my muscles are recovering from a hard workout, do something light -- pilates, yoga, a walk -- instead of forgoing a workout altogether. I've got time to be healthy; gotta make the most of it!
Stop ordering takeout because we're lazy. I have a kitchen at my fingertips for lunch and time and energy to cook a healthy dinner instead of ordering out. We love to eat at restaurants socially, on our date night or at the end of a hard week. Those ocassions are fine, but takeout for laziness no more.
Eat organic. This and my previous goal force me to experiment with new foods and recipes. I'm all for it!
Work on my children's book. My recent trip to Virgin Gorda inspired new story developments to plug into my tale of Lucy the island chicken that couldn't get up the roost. Again, I've got the time; I should use it!
Connect with friends, take care of random shit (like switching my car title to my name), and everything else I feel time-crunched to do during a normal job schedule.

You might have noticed I didn't include any measures to promote my income. I have at most, if needed, four months of pay coming and savings, so I'm blessed to not feel panicky about that at the moment.

I've already hit several on my checklist today and the other days, so so far, so good. Now, you'll have to excuse me, but it's time to make another recipe from www.eatbetteramerica.com. :)

Great news! Who wants to meet me for lunch?

2010-04-21T09:02:00.002-05:00

I know I'm on a blog diet, but every diet needs to be broken a little; I've got news!

Last Friday, they shuttered our company -- 23 trade magazine titles -- and gave us a few hours to wrap up business. The closing wasn't a shock internally -- we'd been for sale in some form or another for more than two years because our parent didn't want to operate advertising-based publications -- but the immediacy of it was. Externally, a media conglomerate like ours shuttering in this way rocks the publishing world.

That said, I woke up the next day and felt great. And I still do! At work I had mustered as much enthusiasm and positivity as I could (and my colleagues did the same) day after day, rumor after rumor -- seemingly a new one every day for almost four months -- of the inevitable closure. Operating with that morale is horrible, even when you have wonderful people to work with.

I had taken the CEO's hint when he sent out a memo New Year's Eve that told us to prepare our resumes; I also began preparing for a job search before that when it was clear my new roles weren't in line with my career goals.

So I've been in a hard-core job search for months and even turned down a couple offers, realizing I have the luxury of being picky; the great part about being part of a huge company is that you're exposed to a lot of different forms of media. We weren't perfect by any means, but I can call myself a multimedia content strategist when other journalists and their companies are just scratching the surface. My point is, I've got talent, which gives me confidence in matching up with a sharp, innovative company.

I'm doing better than many of my colleages.

Many have been with my company for decades, many are brand-loyal and many were totally happy with their job other than the whole for-sale-limbo thing -- they made the commitment to stick it out until the end and hopefully get picked up "on the other side," the term that came around to describe whatever owner buys out the individual brands and needs to reassemble a team. Many of my coworkers are also ready to send kids off to college and have that huge expense to worry about.

As you can see, I'm the opposite: different career goals, no kids to support, already in a job search, mentally prepared for a change. Add that to 60-days pay including benefits plus two months of severance, and I'm good!

So what will I do with my time off? There are a couple big ifs: I might be called back to help with a project, and I might get a job (I just had a second interview w/ an association that would be great to work for and simultaneously heard from a company I'd love to work, too). Two huge, big ifs.

If they don't pan out? I got a visa to visit friends in Austrlia, and I intend to continue to rebuild my immune system by cooking organic, working almost every day, revising my children's book, job searching, networking, taking care of random stuff such as getting my car's title transferred to my name (finally), volunteering again with Inspiration Corporation and sitting on my ass by the lakefront while taking in some sunshine. :D If I have more time, I might do some more travel.

I have a lot to look forward to and feel like I've been given a gift. I haven't decided if I'll update this blog regularly, but at some point I'm sure I will.

Now, who wants to meet for lunch?

The blog diet begins

2010-04-05T18:52:00.006-05:00

I want to be doing what he's doing!

Well, folks, it's time for a break. I'm going to give this blog a formal rest and come back to it later, kinda like what I do to a story when I have writer's block, although that's not an entirely accurate comparison. I know what I want to say; it's just when to say that gets me.

My story -- my life -- is actually quite busy, but I can't stand knowing that the few friends who check this blog know I don't update it. And that stresses me out (even if I know it makes no difference to them). Good thing I don't promote it and thus worry about SEO, tracking stats, etc., as I do with my professional work -- then I'd really have an audience to worry about leaving.

I have plenty to say, and I constantly think about how I want to say it! I still want to tell you about our L20 experience, and share my thoughts about New York, and update you on all the great food we had on vacation in Virgin Gorda.

I have yet to share with you my Health Action Plan of 2010, and fill you in on my still-unsuccessful triathlon training thanks to my still bothersome health, and describe my frustrations with going to work full-time while taking a class that actually requires reading, writing and homework (Marketing 201) while dealing with all of the above.

Yeah, and then there's the job search. I haven't told you about that yet. That keeps me busy, too.

And the photos! I have tons of photos of new recipes and great meals to post -- all taken with a new camera. I haven't gotten around to that yet, have I?

Work. Class. Triathlon. Health. Job search. Relationships.

So I'm going to take this off my plate -- for now. You know how I love full plates; I always have to share. That time will come again soon, but until then, the blog diet begins.

Keep me posted on you! And talk soon.

I feel better already.

Soon TK

2010-03-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

Soon to come (TK, for those of you in the publishing biz):

-- the L20 experience for our anniversary dinner last week

-- a little bit about a Chicagoan in New York. Working title: "Great place! Now slow the f*** down!"

MISSING: IMMUNE SYSTEM; REWARD IF FOUND

2010-03-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

MISSING: IMMUNE SYSTEM
29YO, F, HEALTHY EATER, TRIATHLETE
MISSING IMMUNE SYSTEM SINCE JAN. 1, 2010.
RESPONDS TO "DAILY VITAMIN," "ECHINACEA GOLDENSEAL" AND "FRUITS AND VEGETABLES"
IF FOUND, PLEASE CONTACT AUTHOR OF THIS POST.
***REWARD***

I'm sending a plea to my missing immune system to come back or be found. Since coming down with pneumonia, I've been wooing it with tons of fruits and vegetables and rest. Alas, I find myself sick with a sinus infection again. Where did my immune system go? When will it return? And what is this delicate line between pushing yourself and overdoing it?

As I train during race season I face that quandry all the time. Striking the balance between going hard -- either in duration, intensity or schedule-wis --and consequently getting a little sore or tired and going hard and getting injured or worn down to the point of being unhealthy constantly plague me. I generally can avoid the latter. Apparently not any more.

My definition of "going hard" has changed. I last wrote about how great it was to do yoga/pilates/core work for an hour in the mornings, and then last week I resumed swimming followed by core work at the gym. That was fine, until an overnight trip to New York. On day two, I hit a wall and felt really exhausted, despite getting a full night's sleep. And then I sat on a delayed plane for a couple hours and inhaled airplane air.

Whatever the cause -- not being able to handle New York's fast paced with still-recovering lungs or sitting on that plane -- I'm sick now. I hate this.

We have a dream vacatin planned less than a week away, and I want to be healthy by then, dammit. I have five days to feel better.

I'm considering wearing a mask during the flight. Sounds crazy, but apparently I can't risk it. This sucks!

The slow lane

2010-03-07T19:18:00.002-06:00

I'm back at it. This whole week I woke up early to do an hour of core work, and I'm happy to report that I haven't lost everything. In fact, when it comes to yoga/pilates/core work, my strength is there, it not a little shaky at first.

And then there's the endurance part. Yesterday I got in the pool for the first time in almost two months, and in one sense, it went much better than I expected. Freestyle was good; breathing in on my side followed by several strokes breathing out allowed me to take shallow, quick breaths -- as I usually do -- and swim fairly easily. Backstroke, in which my breathing isn't as controlled and uses my full lung capacity, wasn't so good. My lungs burned and I had to stop to let them calm down.

That was all in the first 10 min., and slowly I made it through just over 40 min. of swimming. Granted, I wasn't going hard or fast, and I had to stop to rest frequently (if only for a few seconds), but I kept it up. Swimming slowly really allowed me to focus on my storke, so that's a plus

The weird thing is that the burning I'm describing had nothing to do with my asthma -- which has been really bad lately -- or anything cardiovascular. My muscles weren't tired and my energy level was good. I just couldn't fill my lungs up with air as much as I wanted -- or needed.

The plan was to try to go to spin tomorrow just to get back on the bike -- I wouldn't expect to keep up. Knowing what I know about cycling and its requiring my lung capacity, I don't think it's a good idea.

I'll get there. I guess it's just going to take a while.

***

I've been scouting what my sprint triathlon would be -- the one I want to have early in the season, June. I'm not so sure it's a good idea at this point. Provided I'm able to go decently hard beginning in April, I'll only have two and a half months. I'd technically be able to complete it, but my time will suck, and I'll get mad about it. Not sure how this'll play out.

Back in the saddle (sort of)

2010-02-27T10:05:00.000-06:00

Progress has been made! Not only did I survive the first week back at work post-pneumonia, but my muscles feel like they need a workout, which makes me smile because that's how I feel when I'm healthy; with this whole February sickness, going through the motions of a normal day was tiring enough. Quite the contrasts for a crazy woman who's used to 5 a.m. swims, bikes and runs.

I'm going to start with doing yoga, pilates and core work for a little bit at home and build up from there. I'd love to be back in the pool in a week, but we'll see how it goes.

Another indicator I'm getting better: I think I'm back to needing a workout in my daily routine to sleep well.

Feeling like me is a good thing.

Update to www.SaraZailskas.com

2010-02-27T09:36:00.003-06:00

I updated www.SaraZailskas.com this week to make sure I included the words content strategy on the home page and services page.

Content strategy involves deciding the best way to present information: What kinds of content? Which media? Which audiences? I'm a content strategist, which means I know how to brainstorm, plan, create and package information to tell the story -- and get deliverable results. I've been doing it for a while, and not many have. Gotta promote it!

I also write, edit and manage projects, too. Hopefully, the site conveys all that in 50 words or less. :)

***

Several people have asked me who designed my Web site, and I'm thrilled to thank (and recommend!) Paula Grishman of Graphica29. Paula was my art director on our award-winning digital magazine Housing Giants, which she took from solid to striking. She's also amazing to work with: extremely creative, open-minded, a good listener and a good negotiator. What can I say -- I hire the best! :)

Now I get it: The Rick Bayless craze

2010-02-27T09:03:00.005-06:00

I've heard Rick Bayless' name associated with the word genius for a while now, but I've never tasted his food until this week when we went to Frontera Grill. Honestly, I wondered not if his food is over-hyped but by how much.

I get it now.

Those were my words after my first bite into the first appetizer that came out, goat enchiladas, aka Enchiladas de Barbacoa de Chivo. The dish features a "Mexican-style chile sauce," and I wish I knew spices well enough to name them all. All you need to know is that they were smooth, complex and perfectly balanced, which I wouldn't necessarily expect from any type of Medican chile sauce.

And the goat: I've had goat before in African restaurants, and it always tasted a little gamey and was often a little tough. Of course Bayless' farm-raised goat was perfectly tender and flavorful. I imagine the goat sacrificing itself for the Rick Bayless cause.

We also tried the ceviche trio and for mains ordered the duck breast with Oaxacan mole (on the side: a fantastic helping of sauteed spinach and fritters) and cilantro trout with a guajillo-laced sauce. That was my dish, and it was just what I was in the mood for: something really flavorful that didn't get its punch from a heavy, greasy sauce. The smokey green beans and cheesy garlic mashed potatoes hit the spot, too. (See the menu for more details).

Given my love for food and trying restaurants with Brian, you'd think I would have made a beeline years ago to Frontera or Topolobompo -- especially considering they're couple miles away from where we live. Not only am I not one to rush out to something just because of a name, but until recently I didn't think I liked regional Mexican cuisine that much, mostly because I had had some overpriced moles at a restaurant and didn't like 'em. But I'm coming around -- flash back to my two trips to Mixteco Grill in January -- and having world-class preparation definitely helps.

I may or may not have bounced around in my seat when we potted Bayless in the kitchen. When you eat something that good, how can you not get star struck?

This isn't a groudbreaking discovery in the world of foodies, I know. For me, Frontera was an education -- and a damn good meal.

WE'VE GOT RESERVATIONS AT SCHWA

2010-02-23T18:03:00.002-06:00

After one and a half months and one missed call, I finally got us reservations at Scwha. It's the dream we've been chasing -- the dream to return for Brian and I, to experience it for his brother Patrick -- with reservation nightmares.

If you don't know Schwa, take some time to get to know the story of wonder, a nervous breakdown, a hiatus and back to wonder.

It used to be that you'd call and have to book out months in advance. And calling to get a hold of someone to take your reservation was nearly impossible, thanks to the fact that five (I think it's five) people run the entire place. That was Brian's experience a year ago. Now, you have to call and either 1) listen to a repeated "Voicemail Box Full" message day after day or 2) Leave your information for a reservation request for the following month and pray you're around to get the call when it does come -- weeks later.

You'll hear stories about how to talk to someone. "Call between 2 and 3 -- that's when Michael Carlson told me he answers the phone." "Call around noon, when they'll likely clear out the voicemail box." "Try showing up in the afternoon."

Nothing worked. But I did get a call.

I missed that call while I was on a business trip. The message I left detailed my name, phone number, the number of people in the party and the date we'd prefer, along w/ the note that we were totally flexible. The message they left weeks later came from what sounded like either a boy who was 12 or a man who was stoned (maybe both?) and it went like this:

"Hi, this is Schwa returning your call. If there's anything we can do for you, please give us a call back."

What the fuck.

It's maddening, of course. I left another message and eventually stopped trying. Then I came down with the flu and pneumonia and forgot about it entirely.

Lo and behold, Michael Carlson himself called today to tell me -- surprise! -- I was on a wait list for tonight (really?) and could come any time I wanted. Tonight. "Oh my God!" I said. "We'll be in!" Then I remembered our long-standing Frontera reservations, and the fact I'm still not up for alcohol, and that we'd have to check with Patrick. A lot of ifs. But the pressure! He talked at high speed and was very nice, but he wanted a decision, and he wanted one now.

I found out he was currently eating at Frontera as he returned me call. He promised Schwa would be amazing. I told him I already knew that.

Thankfully it hit me to slow the fuck down and ask questions. Turns out there were two weeknight reservations in March and I ended up getting one on St. Patrick's Day.

We hung up. Then I used my inhaler.

This is way too stressful of an experience. Their system is horrible!Yet they know they can do it because they're that good, and people will call, and they will phone-stalk the place. We liken it to the best dining experience. Ever.

Hopefully the stress is till worth it.

***
Yup, we've got reservations at Frontera Grill tonight -- my first time, Brian's second or third -- for our Tuesday Night.

It feels good to be getting back to normal life, even if it is still in slow motion.

A dose of good people will do it

2010-02-23T17:41:00.002-06:00

I went back to work yesterday, and it totally lifted my spirits. I have great coworkers: they make me laugh, they make me feel loved, and they're a perfect dose of good people that I need regularly.

I finally could stop talking to myself for company and give my NCIS habit a break.

I did have to work from home and head to the doctor today for a breathing treatment because my asthma, which I thought I had outgrown completely, has come back in a bad way. But that's OK. That's what nebulizers (sp?) and inhalers are for. :)

Trying not to get bummed out, but ...

2010-02-21T20:55:00.001-06:00

I'm doing a lot better since I last wrote. Thursday I had a sort of breakthrough in which I finally started to feel like myself and began moving around faster than I had been. Since then, I've had a reason to go out every day that isn't taxing -- a follow up doctor's appointment, an appointment with an accountant, going to a restaurant for lunch -- yet always leaves me exhausted. Not exhausted enough to sleep easily at night, unfortunately, but I'm just wiped out.

Tomorrow's my first day back at work, and I'm not quite sure how that's going to go.

This is really started to wear on me mentally. I've been sick for a full month now -- haven't felt like myself for a month -- and it's depressing. It's hard to look forward to seeing my coworkers again when I know it's going to tire me out.

It's tough to stay positive, and I'm doing my best. What I'm taking away from this is the perspective it's given me into the lives of people who aren't healthy and live life like this: constantly feeling worn down and having that consequence hang over your head. It really does start to dictate your decisions, and rightfully so, to a degree.

I'm thinking of elderly persons, or those, like my mom, with chronic conditions leaving them tired, out of breath or not motivated. I now know what it's like to be impeded by my energy level. At least when I've dealt with other injuries it didn't wear out my mind or my entire body; I just dealt with the inconvenience of the injury and dealt with frustrations from it -- still feeling quite emotionally involved.

No, I'm just bummed out.

It'll be fine, and hopefully, before I know it things will be back to normal. A month flew by; I'm sure the next couple of recovery weeks will, too.

Kissing my hard work goodbye

2010-02-16T19:33:00.003-06:00

So this entire time I've been sick I've been gauging what my body can and can't do.

Most of the time I want to lie down but I do walk around the house or just take on something -- wiping off all the touch points in the house with a disinfectant wipe, for example -- to move around a little because I feel like it's good for me. And then I'm tired.

Or take today: I had a half-hour conference call this morning to organize my team for the week ahead (I'm project manager for one of the mags I work on) and then spent an hour-and-a-half cleaning up my inbox, replying to little stuff. That tired me out. So I had lunch and rested, and then had an hour-long phone call about work, which I couldn't reschedule. Then I was really exhausted.

I watched a movie -- resting, right? -- and wanted to watch another, which meant I had to check the mail to see if Netflix came. The climb three-flights up exhausted me, on top of making me dizzy (I'm frequently dizzy thanks to the Levaquin). I say down and watched something else.

I got tired of resting and realized my butt hurt from all this sitting around. I decided to try to balance on one leg -- only part of one of the core exercises I would do -- and found my body shaking, heart racing. That's what freaked me out. A few weeks ago I spent 45 min. doing core work alone, and that was after an hour's worth of spinning or swimming. How can I get to this place?

I know I'm sick, and the thought of working out, for example, doesn't appeal to me at all because my body isn't up for it. But I am walking around -- a lot different than when I had the flu and could barely get out of bed -- so I guess I just assumed my balance and something as simple as climbing stairs wouldn't be a problem.

I feel like all my hard work is slipping away. And not being able to do balance exercises to even keep it up a little bit really bums me out.

I have no idea when I'll be able to work out again -- I know it'll be a couple weeks yet -- and I have no clue when I'll get back up to where I was. I know I'll be fine for the races, but that's not good enough for me.

3 Years of a Very Foodie Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:11:00.004-06:00

It's Valentine's Day, and although I have pneumonia, I'm thrilled to say I can eat. Not the same quantity, of course, but my taste buds are in tact again, which means I can enjoy today's lineup. For brunch: Grecian strained yogurt; Whole Foods-made granola that I can already tell has a hint of vanilla; and blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Dinner will be our traditional Valentine's Day dinner, takeout Indian. And it's not takeout b/c of my condition, which leaves me enough energy to, say, type this blog post before taking a nap.

For all three Valentine's Brian and I have been together, we've ordered in an assortment of Indian dishes and camped out. By default, we avoid restaurants on V-day because of how chaotic restaurants generally are, but the tradition started when we found ourselves confronted with an in-your-face-about-love holiday just five days into our relationship. Adjusting to our recent change from friends to significant others was a lot, and declaring it full out with all things red and expensive was scary -- and that was for me. He was the guy -- I can only imagine.

I remember I made us have a talk about it before the big day hit. As much as I didn't want to make it a big deal, I didn't want it to be awkward or get disappointed -- ignoring it would be a bummer after 26 years single.

And so we decided on the takeout and makeout strategy. He brought me a red rose, and I bought him the cookbook Booty Food, which we had blushed over earlier in the week while walking around Barnes & Noble together. (I still like to make him blush.) We debated on cuisines and ordered Indian, and the food was good enough.

So I guess this isn't much of a story about foodie food as it is about the foodies who eat it.

It was the perfect. A good meal, a good boyfriend ... what more could a girl ask for?

***

I just wrote about love and Valentine's Day. Like I said, I spent it single 26 years, even if I did have the occasional love interest (Paul, 7th Grade, delivered a carnation candy gram to my lunch table). I didn't always love the day -- who likes being reminded of what you don't have? -- but never hated it. The way I saw it, I had a lot of good friends who made the day fun. Even as an adult I sent V-day cards to my best friend and still send them to my godmother and parents. (If Lorraine were still with us, she'd get one, too.)

Here's wishing you a day full of love -- friend, lover, family and all.

So about that Great Sickness of 2010 ...

2010-02-13T08:24:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I, uh, have pneumonia. That's on top of the sinus infection and throat infection.
My doctor diagnosed it yesterday, and I just read about it on WebMd (couldn't help it), and it's a textbook case. At least now I know why I'm so sick and feel the way I do.

A proper thank you

2010-02-12T11:50:00.004-06:00

I have a wonderful boyfriend. We celebrated our three-year anniversary this week, and he didn't balk when I had to reschedule our plans (still sick) he arranged for dinner months ago -- at L20 no less -- that we had been anxiously waiting for. His gift to me was a full-day of spa treatments at The Peninsula, arguably one of the nicest hotels in Chicago, because he knows I've had a rough go lately and knew it would be special.

The gifts are thoughtful, touching and more than I could ever expect or want. What means the most though is that he's there for me, saying and doing just the right things, when I'm at my lowest points: during difficult family issues, like cancer; the death of someone near and dear; an incredibly stressful stretch at work (I'm doing great, but the work situation is unhealthy); and The Great Sickness of 2010. He's run to the store for Gatorade and Kleenex; called his friends to bring me food when he was out of town for a funeral and I could barely get out of bed; and refused to let me help clean up or do anything, really, when I've been well enough to go to work but miserable enough to want to go to bed as soon as I get home. I've known many men who wouldn't go nearly as far for their partners as Brian does for me.

I want to get him a little something or do something for him thank him for being him. I want it to be sentimental but not top of mind. Not over the top, but more than a sincere card. And although food is one of our favorite things to explore together, I want to think beyond that.

If you have any ideas, my ears are open. Thanks. :)

Update: I've fielded the suggestions of truffles (as in the mushrooms), cooking him dinner and a heart-shaped cake. I really like the cake idea! The other ideas are great, but the timing's a bit off: I recently bought him truffle oil (and we received it as a gift, too) and we cook each other dinner frequently. I like the suggestions tho! Helps me think.

Flu food and products I recommend

2010-02-12T11:25:00.001-06:00

Of course your taste buds are all out of whack when you're sick -- you're miserable, and why would you be able to enjoy food to make your misery a little less horrible?

You can follow all the advice on the Internet about what to eat, and I did. But knowing which brand and type of product can be key. All of these foods below can be made or gathered when you are barely able to walk, can't see straight and can't commit to any amount of time to do anything because you'll have to run to the bathroom. My recommendations:

1) Mom's chicken noodle soup (pictured). Find my mom, and have her make you some soup.
2) Don't have my mom? I purchased four canned chicken noodle soups, only to be revolted by each: no matter the brand, they all had a metallic taste, and the noodles were fake. Don't fear: you can buy my mom's backup to her chicken noodle soup, Lipton Chicken Noodle that's dehydrated and sold in a box. Sounds disgusting, but I promise you, it's a million times better tasting than the canned stuff. All you do is add water.
2) You're supposed to eat rice when you can't hold anything down. The easiest and best tasting I found out is Success boil-in-a-bag rice. They say it's foolproof, and considering the condition I was in when I made it, they are telling the truth.
3) Apple sauce -- with cinnamon. This stuff is loaded with sugar -- when I'm healthy I opt for the natural, unsweetened stuff -- but you're sick, you need the calories, and you deserve it.
4) White bread. Like the apple sauce, I generally avoid white bread and opt for wheat when I'm healthy, but I wasn't. And the stomach likes white bread a ton more than digesting wheat.
5) Hot water with honey. I like to drink this healthy, too.

I don't recommend the bananas, per the BRAT diet you're supposed to follow (bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast). The consistency and varied taste turned me off, but that's just me.

I also owe a lot of gratitude to the following products:

Gatorade
Colgate toothpaste, to get all the sugar from the Gatorade off my teeth
Disinfectant wipes
Charmin Mega Roll soft toilet paper
Mucinex DM
Chloraseptic sore throat spray. Warning: It's addictive.
Kleenex anti-viral tissues. Expensive, soft, and purportedly anti-viral. I'm sold.

When you're sick, certain comforts can make ya feel at least a little better. At least I've found a few to count on.

The Great Sickness of 2010: Day 18

2010-02-12T10:49:00.002-06:00

Sickness blows.

I haven't felt well since Jan. 18. I remember it distinctly, because it was the day I put in a really good morning spin just shy a few hours before my flight to Las Vegas for the International Builders' Show. I felt great -- so great I wouldn't feel guilty about skipping a few workouts because of my travels.

That week was rainy and cold, and the days were long -- 18 hours or so. My colleagues and I were worn down. I came back on Friday not feeling like myself, then got hit with the Flu Truck the following Tuesday. I stayed sick for a full week, felt decent enough to go to work and move around for five days (nothing taxing! Just going through motions), and then KAPOWIE! "Fuck you, Sara" the flu virus (or whatever the hell it is) said to me. "We're not done yet."

And here I am, at home, again, waiting for it to do its thing to my chest, ears, nose and throat. I had a major deadline that I had to work through for a few days at the beginning of the week, but as soon as we were done yesterday I made a public declaration: I have been given sick days, and I'm going to use them. I'm still in bed.

It's getting a little tiring. I'm watching my muscles soften up, and it kills me; I had intensified my workouts and changed 'em up so that I was seeing a real difference in my body and the way my muscles toned. I bought two new swimsuits in Vegas! They dance in the back of my head now, as I picture mushiness and flab spilling over my new lavendar bikini.

Of course, I won't lose everything, and as Brian told me, I'm healthy enough (hah! really?!) of a person that my strength and muscles will come back easily. I felt so crappy when I had the flu, I didn't care about missing the gym. But now I'm in that feels-crappy-but-is-still-mentally-there state, where I can recall my old life, the real me. Not sick Sara. My coworkers look at me with pity and concern, and Brian checks in on me constantly and makes sure I have whatever I need to feel better. I appreciate it all. But more than two weeks of feeling like an invalid is getting annoying.

I'm so ready to get on with life. Hopefully, that's happening: I can breathe through both nostrils today, enough to be able to use a homemade Netie Pot. It's the little things, right?

Reminders from our friend Flu

2010-01-31T18:23:00.000-06:00

I've been battling the flu for five days now. Five. I never made it to Memphis for Brian's grandmother's funeral. But the painful aching is over, my 100-degree fever has broken, I no longer feel like our apartment's heat is air conditioning and I haven't rushed to the bathroom in about five hours. Hopefully, I'll be able to sleep more than an hour at a time tonight for the first time since getting hit.

Flu's miserable. But getting hit with it has reminded me about a few important things:

1) I know my body really well. I got "hit" with my symptoms at about 9 p.m. on Tuesday. But the days prior to that, I knew something was up. I got back from Vegas on Friday, and all weekend just kept repeating, "I don't feel like myself -- not sick, just meh." I worked out Sunday, but it was so-so. I didn't have the energy I normally would have, even though I had gotten a few nights of good sleep. In spin class Monday, my joints hurt a lot and I had to cut my workout short -- same thing on Tuesday, when it felt as if none of my muscles had recovered from Sunday's or Monday's workouts. That was a huge clue something was up, and I resumed taking Echinacea Goldenseal. The big tipoff though was that I didn't care that I cut my workouts short -- I was just happy to stop.Which leads me to my next point:

2) When I'm really, really sick, I ultimately do not care about working out -- and that's a good thing. Give me a sinus infection or a cold and I'll quit working out after reasoning for myself that it's the right thing to do -- but I'll still count how many workouts I could get in, and think about next week's schedule, and ultimately ponder if it'll affect any of my races that are months away (it won't, but my mind will still go there). But when I'm really, really sick -- like with the flu -- I do not care. Even as I sit here now, 1,000 times better than I was a few days ago (hell, I'm on the computer and typing), I still do not care that I'm missing a workout because I still feel that shitty. I know some committed athletes would be beating themselves up or planning their next training session, and I'm thankful I'm able to be rational about working when I really need to rest up.

3) I completely and utterly appreciate having Brian around to take care of me when I'm in need. Even if I just have a cold or an upset stomach, Brian swings into caregiver mode. I try not to take advantage but do love that I can just relax and get better; knowing he's there is relief enough. He was at his grandmother's funeral this week, so it was just me. At times this week I was hunched over so much when I walked to the toilet I should have just crawled. I dropped things on the floor all the time with my weak and uncoorinated movements -- and of course had to clean up the red Gatorade I spilled on our new carpet and later the honey water I knocked over. These are extremely difficult tasks when it's difficult to roll over in bed. And when you run out of Gatorade or need Tums EX to keep your stomach from rebeling? I'm lucky to have friends who live nearby who picked up necessities, but it was awkward to ask and definitely inconveniencing. The second he came back, I already felt like I was healing faster -- it's clear I need him around. :)

4) My parents will still drop what they're doing to come take care of me if I let them. They're sick themselves and live 21 miles away, but they'll drop what they're doing to make me homemade chicken noodle soup and Jell-O, then drive it out to me through crappy Chicago traffic, with cans of Coke to boot (my mom's forgotten her own advice apparently about drinking clear liquids).

I didn't really need to experience Flu to know I knew my body; that Brian and my parents love me; that I'm not so addicted to working out that I can't take a break. But the reminders are good. They keep me in check. And we all need that, don't we?

What You Need to Do in Vegas

2010-01-26T18:17:00.001-06:00

If you followed me on Facebook, you may or may not have caught a few status updates complaining about feeling exhausted from Las Vegas -- beginning halfway through the trip and ending two days after I got home. I was there for work for the International Builders' Show, which is the most important week of the year for our group of magazines because the amount of people, products and story ideas we have access to. That means days begin at 8 a.m. and work committments wrap up around 10 or 11 p.m. Throw in a couple celebratory drinks -- if I can last that long -- and I end up running on five or six hours of sleep. Good times!

But oh, there were good times! Here're actionable items for you for your next trip:

1) Stay at Encore if you can. Scan for deals, try to negotiate a price, do what you can to experience these rooms: creams and beige fabrics with a balanced amount of nearly black wood made you feel as if you were held in a lap of luxury. Flat screens, a bed I wanted to buy, a view that's elongated by mirrors in the sitting are and a doorbell remind you why Steve Wynn makes the money he does. Just don't examine the "Adult Pleasure Kit" box for longer than 60 seconds if you're curious -- you'll be automatically charged. The restaurants are good (enjoy the truffly oil at Society), and stores like Swim and Taste of Wynn make it too easy to drop a paycheck. (I rationed myself but came away with some good, uh, investments).

2) Eat at Sage. If you read this blog, you know I'm a fan of Shawn McClaine's restaurants in Chicago. Sage -- which he moved his family to Vegas for -- is more of the same good stuff from him. He carried several of the crowd pleasers (albeit updated versions) over from his restaurants here in Chicago (the octopus from Custom House, the barrumundi and hot chocolate chaser from Spring), and the menu is distinctly him -- no surprises, which makes sense, given it's at Aria. Aris is gross. It's cold, dark and steel-like, and even if that's your thing, I don't see how anyone can deny it's so incredibly generic in color and design that it won't look outdated next month. Seeing Shawn's work and style thrown into this abomination of generic decor is just weird, consideration the cleaner pallette he generally follows (even Custom House, a hotel restaurant, is better) but the food's wonderful. Order the Tin Rose cocktail (or something like that).

3) Drink at Peppermill. Ah, Peppermill. Everyone loves it! You know what a casino bar is like, you know what a club is like, but do you know what a kitschy Vegas lounge with fruity drinks and a fire pit is like? OK, there are pry a few of 'em out thattaway, but there's only one Peppermill. My friend Cynthia found this place the first time we did Vegas, and I dragged my coworkers there, who all agreed it was one of the highlights of the week. I may or may not have been really drunk already by the time this dreamy-eyed photo was taken. Note the pink plush couches, faux greenery and mirrors in the background. It's not loud, and the couple times I've been there, never crowded. Seriously, folks. Do yourself a favor and have the experience.

4) Do not get in any cabs that approach you unsolicited. I needed a cab and was amazed that this one happened to pull up at the right moment. He was taking a gamble, hoping I was a "party girl," which he asked me about several times. No cab number, company name or badge inside the cab either. Thankfully I made it to the hotel, and before I could turn around to get details off the side of the car, he was speeding off.

Those are the highlights. If you go or have been to any of these places, let me know what you think.

I hope Gam liked me

2010-01-26T17:08:00.000-06:00

This morning, Brian's grandmother "Gam" passed away. I think she was almost 87, but am happy to report that up until the end, her mind was sharp, and she was surrounded by a family of about 40. Yup, she was a Matriarch with a capital M. Although her mind was sharp, her body started failing her and got progressively worse since Christmas. And now, Gam is no longer with us.

It's weird to think of Brian's family without her. They're incredibly tight knit, in large part because of this woman. She raised five kids -- most who have a clan of their own -- on very strong family ideals. Brian's family has been really welcoming to me because of how she raised them, no doubt. They may be loud, and holiday gatherings tend to feel chaotic -- dozens of strong-willed people in the same house will bear that trait -- but they're all nice. They tease one another and poke fun at one another, but they still all treat each other well, and there isn't a bad soul among 'em. No, they're not all perfect, but I couldn't ask for a more solid family to be welcomed into.

I watch how this family talks to and acts around the little kids -- Lord knows there are at least six under age five right now -- and it's amazing. They're cool and know how to play with 'em, yet all the kids know what they're supposed to do. Doesn't mean they don't push the limits, but they're never bratty. I don't know what they're secret is, but I have a lot of it stems from Gam.

Each time Brian and I visited Memphis, we would always make a point to see her at least once. I observed the standards she sets among her grandchildren and was amazed at the following -- the joy in pleasing Gam and doing the right thing. One of Gam's sister's grandchildren moved to Chicago, for example, and Brian and his brother invited her out to do something. Gam got wind of this and, during our Christmas visit, turned to Patrick and said, "Now, Patrick, I heard how you invited Courtney out, and I have to commend you. That was a very nice thing of you to do. She's new to the city, and it's important to have family around."

She did not offer this commendation in a frilly, too-sweet way. Oh no. If she weren't already telling him he was doing the right thing, she would be giving orders. And you'd follow them.

Gam raised her entire family in the strongest of Catholic senses, and that was evident to the day she died. You can tell it worked because many of her children's spouses who weren't already Catholic converted without pressure. It says a lot. It's not like they're preachy; they just do good things.

When Brian came home after finding out about her passing at work, one of the first things I said to him after condolences and such was, "I hope Gam liked me." I just wouldn't feel right if she didn't. I got the sense she did because she offered that I call her Gam -- not reserved for just anyone -- but I still wanted, or maybe needed, the reassurance she knew her son was with a good person. Brian said he knows she did; whenever she'd visit, after he said hello, she asked about me first. I'll take that as a compliment. :)

The first time I visited Memphis was for an Easter holiday, and as I said goodbye to her -- the last time I'd see her during that particular trip -- I addressed her as Brian had instructed all weekend: Ms. Hill. When I said this -- we were in the driveway of his aunt's house helping her into her car -- she stopped and stared at me; I panicked, searching for a reason to get such a look. Did I call her by the wrong grandmother's name? Did she think I called her something inappropriate?

"My name" "is Gam. Call me Gam."

And then I knew I was OK. Sigh of relief all around.

That was awhile ago, and I see her so little, of course I wanted the reassurance now, to know Brian was at ease about whether or not she approved. So far so good. I fully count on her looking down and watching over us (hopefully not realizing from heaven her grandson and I are living together before marriage).

I'm glad I knew you, Gam. Thanks for raising such a good family.

Coming Next: Vegas Update

2010-01-22T10:59:00.001-06:00

I'm exhausted -- but that's because it's been a non-stop work-week, including lots of great food-related experiences as well. In my next update:

My thoughts on Sage at Aria (Sage= winner, Aria = meh)
The Peppermill! A tacky, kitchsy lounge with pink couches, a fire pit and fruity drinks that got me voted "coolest coworker ever" :)
Society Cafe at Encore, where a chunk of the items have truffle oil (should be called Heaven at Encore)

Stay tuned!

Food Update! Jam breakfast place, Molly's Cupcakes, and more

2010-01-17T17:45:00.002-06:00

Here are a few of the photos that were publishable in terms of quality -- my camera phone only captures well in certain lighting:

The scone of the day at Jam in Ukrainian Village: garlic paprika with whipped butter that was good enough to eat by the spoonful and raspberry jam. Really tasty. I'd been dying to try Jam; it's owned by a bunch of sous chefs at my favorite restaurants in Chicago, and everyone knows it. Consequently, by the time I roll in for brunch on Sunday there's a 1.5 hour wait, no place to really sit and, at least on the first try, they don't even let you put the name of the list unless all people are standing in front of the host. Third time's a charm though -- and showing up at 9:45 was JUST in time to beat the line.

This is Jam's Malted Custard French Toast, which features macerated quince, lime leaf cream and pink peppercorns. The entire dish is lovely -- until you bite into the pink pepercorn. That makes the dish have moxy. And it's great.

Oh, sweet egg sandwich. Jam's features pork cheeks, ricotta and persimmon ketchup. I didn't need the layers of French bolla, but it didn't matter. It's the perfect savory breakfast dish without having a lot of salt, which I like.

Switching gears:

I must recommend Molly's Cupcakes, even if the owner -- my ad class instructor -- ripped my work to shreds and may or may not have asked me, "What will that get you?" after I tossed out a solution to a problem during a brainstorm. Not that I'm bitter or anything (OK, maybe a little). But after a visit with my cupcake-obsessed (in a good way!) friend Cynthia last night, I've softened up: he's got a helluva business.

The country is dotted with cupcake bakeries, many that try to knock your socks off with creations that pair bacon with pears and strawberries with balsamic vinegar. Some of these cupcakes are really good. Others are OK, or tiring; sometimes you just wanna good, no frills dessert. What's great about John's cupcakes are that they play on comforts we all love -- think Boston cream pie or chocolate chip cookie dough -- and work them via filling and toppings into a lovely, cakey delight. The restaurant's concept is a throwback to his elementary school teacher who used to bake cupcakes for birthdays, so it's a playful schoolyard approach -- swings, for example, hang at a bar for seats. Only this schoolyard stays open til midnight, and John was there working himself even then. Impressive.

Switching gears again:

When my friend Saul visited earlier this month, we ended up at Millenium Park around lunch time, and I immediately thought of Park Grill for burgers. For years I've been reading write ups in the many "Best Burger" issues in Chicago -- seems like everyone's got on -- yet never made my way in. Well folks, it's worth the hype. Pictured on the left is 1/2 of a regular ol' burger and the other half is the angus peppercorn crusted burger, which has gorgonzola, balsamic onions and mustard (although I swear there was bacon, too, but the online menu says otherwise). Guess which one was the best? The regular one, but they were both great. The regular one -- not greasy like its fancy, schmancy rival -- is one of the best burgers I've ever had. I'd go back. Just for the burger.

Vegas Restaurants

2010-01-11T20:50:00.001-06:00

I'm due to be in Vegas next week for work, and what that usually means are 17 hour days occaisonally peppered with a great dinner with coworker friends. One in particular, Jay, I see outside of work all the time, and he appreciates a good restaurant. But he's not going this year. Considering I explain pasta with vodka sauce to people at work, I can't expect a hidden foodie to come out of the closet for a pricey meal on the town.

I have a night or two free for dinner so far and am debating meeting up with coworkers for good, fun times, or one night breaking off on my on to do my own foodie thing. Dining alone isn't a problem, but it's not ideal for me. If I'm going to drop a wad of money on a dinner -- at best, I can use my entire $50 food stipend per day on the whole meal -- I'd prefer to share it with someone. But oh well.

Right now I have reservations lined up at Thomas Keller's Bouchon at The Venetian and Shawn McClain's Sage at the new Aria at CityCentre. I just have to figue out which one I'll go to on which night. As tempting as Keller's Bouchon is, my experience is that the Vegas equivalent of notable chef's restaurants are never as good as the original. Todd English's Olives, for example, had humongous portions that were over-salted. My friend thought Craftsteak was OK. And Bouchon isn't getting that great of reviews -- they run the gamut, which says a lot.

Sage though seems promising, if only b/c McClain's new there and I know has had a heavier hand in the restaurant than others might; heck, he left Chicago's Custom House to take this job, so it better be good.

I'll keep you posted.

The Cornish Hen Issue

2010-01-11T20:43:00.002-06:00

So I was all pumped tonight to make Cornish hens. Those little birds are too fun -- and too easy -- to cook with that I can't believe I didn't revisit the recipe earlier. Of course, there's barely a recipe as I can't seem to follow 'em -- at all. My standard Cornish hen prep includes rosemary, olive oil, salt, pepper and maybe some thyme and onions.

Today was different. I cubed turnips and sweet potatoes to roast, dressing them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt, with a dash of rosemary olive oil.

Those turned out fine.

As I sit here, we're waiting for our young chickens to finish baking. That's because my Cornish hens just would not thaw out. I read up on thawing techniquest that promised 30 min. and no more, but not, these hens, after an hour and a half, were hard as a rock. I planned dinner to be ready within a half hour of Brian's coming home (predicted: 7:30) and had to text him instead to pick up thawed birds.

Of course there weren't any at Jewel, so he ended up with young, expensive chickens at Whole Foods (a regular fryer chicken would have sufficed, but that's my boyfriend, trying to get as close to hens as possible).

So we'll see how this turns out. I basted it in rosemary olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic salt, then surrounded it with onions. Nothing complicated at all, and I hope it tastes as good as the scent wafting through the condo now ...

UPDATE: The young chickens we substituted turned out seasoned perfectly, and amazingly juicy, too -- made for great leftovers. Brian's charged with making the now-thawed and refrigerated Cornish hens on Thursday.

Another bullet-list roundup: First week of January

2010-01-10T21:32:00.003-06:00

So, blog, it's been a while. Since I wrote last, a few things have happened:

I battled my sinus infection and recovered just in time to show my friend Saul from Australia around Chicago. His culinary tour -- he's a foodie, so it was my dream tour guide responsiblities -- including Gino's East pizza, Mixteco Grill, Park Grill for hamurgers, Feast for brunch and, rounding out one of the best night's I've had a in a long time, Blackbird for dinner followed by Violet Hour for cocktails, if only b/c we sorta had a hookup (10 min. wait rather than 2 hours, which we just don't do). Every place we visited was a home run. Clearly there are a lot of topics I can write about here, and maybe I will at some point. I don't feel like detailing the food though at the moment, except to say that Blackbird continues to be an all-around amazing dinner and Violet Hour is just too cool.
I loved catching up with my Aussie friend. Brian did, too. Saul's a sociologist and, like me, very interested and fascinated in the normal stuff about a culture, so we spent a day visiting very American things like Jewel food stores, Dunkin Donuts and Target. Yes, I'll definitely have to write about that experience, particularly my trying to shield him from seeing an Oscar-Myer cooked bacon product and answering his puzzled question, "Sara, what are pork chitlins?" Ah, good times.
I'm too lazy to plug in links for this post at the moment. Maybe I'll come back to that.
I stopped doing my flip turns in the pool. They just aren't as smooth and fast as the pseudo-turns I have perfected, and I'm not willing to give that up.
My calves and core have really strengthened, and I credit that to my gym: there are a lot more hard core people that I can watch and copy moves from, and the spin classes are more challenging. I've been more sore, but it's a good sore.
I can barely get my heart rate up while I'm swimming these days. I mean, it'll elevate, for sure, but nowhere near what it used to be. Is it because of the longer pool distance making it more difficult for me to hold a sprint? Just being too comfortable at a slower-than-normal pace? I noticed I can't really sprint anymore -- it's like my muscles just don't work that way. Maybe it's because when I do sprint, my arms tense up, and my body hates it. I don't know. I have to work it out.
I've had a really good streak at work lately.
I'm on the fourth book of Twilight, "Breaking Dawn." I almost broke up with "Eclipse" in the last book, when Edward basically tries to hold Bella hostage to protect her. Then he apologize, and I came back. It's like an abusive relationship, I wrote on my Facebook status update, but at least I know the difference between a book and reality -- and do not mirror Bella's behavior.
I would totally hook up with Edward. I mean, ya know, if he were in real life and I didn't have Brian. :)
Have read the thousands of pages in the Twilight series, it's becoming clearer to me why I feel so obsessed with it. Some of it I cannot write here. Some of it is as simple as wanting to indulge in a passionate story about two intoxicating characters (or rather, an intoxicating character and his insecure love).
Barring random circumstances, I will be in Vegas a week from tomorrow for work. I need to find some dining buddies; my coworker friends who I like to catch up with won't be going. Not that I don't like my coworkers that are going, but I see them all the time and like to use this annual trip as a time to try some good restaurants and see coworkers I don't worth with as closely.

I promise to get back into topical blogs rather than this mish mash I'm trying to pass off, guiltily typing away so I don't have a month's worth of news to write in one post.

The Week in Bullet Points

2009-12-30T12:14:00.002-06:00

I know I've been incommunicado; it's been a busy week. I could write a lot but will update using bullet points:

Five hours in delays and 1 canceled flight later I'm back from Christmas in Memphis, where Santa still found me; I was welcomed with warm, open arms; and the topic of conversation among Brian's family members rotated between babies and football (it is the South).
We ate a lot of cheese. No vegetables or fruit -- just meat 'n' cheese grits, cheese dip, cheesey eggs and more. My healthy diet is now back on track.
I finished reading both "Twilight" and "New Moon" and am going straight after work tomorrow to see "New Moon" in the theater. I am totally obsessed but feel better about reading the books because, as my friend Laura reminded me last night, the subject matter is for adults.
I have a sinus infection.
I've heard from my Aussie friends this week and have one visiting this weekend, so I'm thrilled. He's a foodie, so we're doing Gino's East pizza on Friday, Blackbird on Saturday and Mixteco Grill on Sunday.
I am officially committed to an international/Olympic distance triathlon -- registered this week.
I'm really looking forward to New Year's. Brian's cooking dinner for a small group of friends, and that's it. Love it.

Here's wishing you a very happy holidays and happy new year. Let's make 2010 a good one, shall we?

The Bed Was Really Warm

2009-12-23T13:07:00.001-06:00

Four days of the five-day work week I crawl out of bed at 4:52 a.m. By 5:12 or so I'm at the gym, and by 5:17 you can find me in the pool or setting up my bike in the spin room.

This morning I made it up half the stairs to the spin room before I stopped dead in my tracks. "I am too tired to work out today," I said out loud, a declarative statement to make it real. I was back in bed -- still warm -- by 5:30.

This decision normally kills me -- I genuinely feel better if I work out, especially during a holiday week, when I'll likely miss a workout or two -- and I think part of why I'm writing about is that it isn't bothering me, despite how weird it feels to skip a workout, unplanned, during the week while I'm healthy.

The goal today was to move my "day off" of working out to later in the week so I could get one last good workout before Christmas. And the goal of every morning is to get past the initial resentment of crawling out of bed. I do it all the time and like it -- even on the toughest days, I'm good to go once I get to the gym and, at the least, will do a very low-impact workout if I'm not up to speed. Not today.

My legs lacked strength. My eyes hurt from not getting enough sleep (it'd taken a while for me to fall asleep last night). I could barely process the thought of cycling up hills or doing jumps on the bike, let alone getting on a bike and taking orders from a spin instructor to go harder and faster.

I've overlooked all these things before and chugged through, or I've rearranged my workout schedule so I could still get the same number of workouts in and catch up on sleep. I think I'm secretly afraid that once I cave, I'll be tempted to skip again. You know of that slippery slope most people go through;I don't want to be one of those people who falls off. That said, I'm not most people, and I know it's good to catch up when you need rather than stress over about it.

Doesn't mean it's easy.

The Big Olympic Distance Tri Debate

2009-12-21T21:12:00.001-06:00

Guess what:
1) I can now do flip turns in the pool!
2) I'm now running twice a week, albeit briefly (up to a mile and a half after a swim).
3) If I want to shave about $40 off the price of the Chicago Triathlon, I have until Dec. 31 to do so -- and thus decide on Olympic distance racing versus another sprint.

The flip turns just came to me one day. I'd technially learned how to do them in college but could never get my breathing down well enough that I felt comfortable turning my body entirely upside down and breathing out. Then this weekend -- a good 8 years after I'd been taught flip turns -- I said to myself, Sara, you're going to do a flip turn. And I practiced, and it came easily, and I kept practicing. And then I got into a rhytym where I kept 'em up. If I botched one, I'd swim back and try it again. I'm still not as efficient as my pseudo turn I'd adapted over the years, but I'll get there.

The running thing is a big step for me. I figure if I ran twice a week and added a half mile every two weeks I can def. work my way up to six miles. And if I don't have time for all that in the morning -- it would eat into my core training time -- I could do a short run during the week and a longer run on a weekend. This is all a big hope, but we'll see.

And as for the Olympic distance event, I'm nearly there and ready to commit. It's scary. There's a big jump from sprints to Olympic, and I could be finishing the race in a lot of pain. But I just keep the Bangs Lake Aquabike in my head: I did the Olympic distance swim followed by a hilly-and-windy-as-fuck 25-mile bike and felt I could still run. So throw in some training and BOOM, I'm there.

The plan: a sprint in June or July; the Aquabike in July or August (whenver it is); and the Olympic distance at Chicago.

Now I just have to hit register and we're all good.

New Version of Christmas

2009-12-21T20:59:00.001-06:00

Brian and I have this conundrum of both being part of families where Christmas is *the* holiday. I'm sure it's a common problem, but my being an only child, and his being a member of a 39-member-or-so family with 98% attendance every year puts a twist on it. Until this year, we each went our own ways, but now I'm making the trek to Memphis for the 25th. My parents and godmother came over this past Saturday for Christmas at our place, and Brian cooked. I felt so adult -- this is the first time I've had family over instead of my mom or aunts cooking -- and Brian acted like the adult, preparing this huge meal basically all by himself.

I contributed goat cheese brie and truffle mousse (BUY SOME -- AMAZING) for appetizers and supplied a fruit torte and mini desserts. The big show was our dinner:

Seared rack of lamb atop a cannelloni bean shmear with pureed parsnips; roasted turnips and carrots; and seasoned bok choy.That's not blood underneath, btw, it's a something-fancy reduction. I put together the mini calla lilies.

I was happy to have my parents relax. They're bodies are both taxed, and their health makes small things like unloading groceries difficult. Honestly, I was afraid that my mom wouldn't be able to make the climb to the third floor but knew she'd come through at least this one time more. I have a feeling my mom's dream would be for me to host Christmas instead of her, but that's a long way off. Until then, this could make for a nice tradition -- as long as Brian's doing the cooking (haha).

By the way, these will be the last fuzzy camera shots ever (hopefully), because Brian got me a new camera for Christmas. I hate my camera. I generally have to take photos five times to get something exposed correctly or clear. And yes, I do play around with the settings and even read the manual. Not that it hasn't taken some great shots -- I just need the perfect lighting for it to happen.

What We Eat At Home: December Highlights

2009-12-21T20:45:00.000-06:00

Put aside all the holiday meals (four so far) and we've had a fairly healthy food month here at Brian and Sara's. Some of this months have been my favorites in terms of both flavor and color:

This is my favorite in terms of color. I took cubed sweet potatoes, spinach and onions and sauteed them in a little olive oil, then added eggs. I recall cumin being a component as well. The flavors came together well -- it's the execution that fell short. I threw the potatoes in first but totally underestimated how long they'd take. Mental note: fully cook the buggers and then add 'em.

Brian made me this after a long night at work, and it's still one of my favorite quick pasta dishes to date. I can't recall all the ingredients, but I do know that spinach, a little bit of tomato, onion, garlic, and rosemary -- lots of rosemary -- were involved. He sauteed those ingredients and added the sauce to store-bought mushroom ravioli. The fact that there was only a hint of tomato instead of its being the main ingredient really made the rosemary (and was there thyme, too?) stand out. Brian says he simply took my pasta sauce idea and put a twist on it, but I think he did much more.

Mmm, catfish. Some call this redneck. I call it tasty and fun. So long ago, though, I can't remember what he put in the sauce -- I'm pretty sure wine's in there -- and if that was polenta on the bottom or what. But I had to at least call it out.

See the next post for the big holiday finale.

Secret Santa Duty Report

2009-12-18T21:18:00.004-06:00

How could you NOT love these kids? My coworkers and I became Secret Santas this year and got to distribute the gifts to needy kids in Chicago Public Schools, and what a hoot! This video begins right after we "Santa's Helpers" walked in.

This year I bought gifts for three kids, and two of those gifts were in lieu of gifts to a couple of my friends who I always exchange with. It's so easy and simple, and we're at a time in our lives where we don't really need to buy more things for each other. These kids' excitement woulda topped any gift certificate, candle or jewelry we might have given. .

This little girl was my favorite -- a little me! I, too, had glasses when I was young, and I hope I was nearly as smiley and sweet as she was. Her glasses, btw, were much cooler than mine; I wore upside down glasses, and they were horrible. I distinctly remember another 5-year-old and her mom walking by our house and pointing at me while asking why my glasses were upside down. But I digress. This little girl was my favorite.

I'm thankful Barbie's still popular, b/c Lord knows there are some skanky dolls out there.

This little girl wouldn't open her present so she could have something under the tree. (She wasn't the only one.)

I spent $30 on a Hug-n-Heal Barbie set when bubbles could've brought the same enjoyment? J/k

The little girl (above) didn't get what she wanted and had a major meltdown -- one of only two, so I consider it a success.

I can't tell who's more excited in this one. Remember how fun it was to watch someone open presents -- especially toys?

No update here: They are serving the exact same pizza that they did when I was in elementary school in the '80s.

So if your company, church, gym or what have you does a Secret Santa, DO IT. Do one. Do a few. Buy in lieu of presents for other people. They'll appreciate it.

One more thing: when you're buying something, try to stick to what the kids want and don't assume that because they're poor they'll automatically like whatever you give them. Kids are kids. Rich or poor, they have an opinion. And although many definitely will have an appreciation or excitement that a more fortunate kid might not feel, they still dream about cool toys they see on TV. Just sayin'.

Merry Christmas!

Ever Hear of This Charity Idea?

2009-12-14T13:10:00.003-06:00

I went to my parents' house over the weekend to help them with their big-ass tree. It's huge, and now that my dad's constantly winded from treatments (he has bladder cancer) and my mom's barely walking these days, it's pretty much up to me to put it all up, which takes a while because it's about 8 feet tall, at least 5 feet wide and has hundreds of ornaments.

That leaves a lot of time for talking. And as we unpacked and organized Christmas stuff, my dad shared a few stories about the food pantry he helps out at. (He switched his treatment schedule to accommodate a few hours at their church's pantry, which is amazing to me. He certainly has an excuse to not give back, I'd think, given his circumstances. But I digress.) We talked about needy family's holidays, and I got to thinking: is there a charity that collects Christmas trees and ornaments to hand out to the poor?

Think about it: people every so often get a new fake tree -- or a fake tree is "free up" when a person dies, as in the case of our friend Lorraine -- and this usually pretty decent or still usable fake Christmas tree is available. And what about all the ornaments that, in my mom's words, you just want to break because you never really liked them in the first place, or you're just tired of 'em (in our case, we have hundreds -- hundreds! -- of ornaments for our tree and surely don't need them all)? It would be a shame to throw them out or give them to someone who doesn't really want them. What about poor families without money to invest in trees and decorations? Trees bring so much cheer and not having one if you celebrate Christmas is a big contrary to the holiday. (Let's put aside the debate about what Christmas is really about and agree that it's nice to have holiday decorations).

The ideal time to hook people into donating would be post-Christmas, and it would take a lot of pre-planning and publicity. I'm going to investigate this and report back. If you've heard of any organized charity or specific mission to donate trees, let me know.

The Holiday Psychics Tell All

2009-12-12T14:51:00.002-06:00

Last night was Brian's trading firm's holiday party at Shaw's Crab House, the second holiday party I attended with him there. I should be writing about the food, a full-out buffet with every kind of seafood at our fingertips: lobster tails, king crab legs, an oyster bar, sushi and more. At the end of the night -- and one bottle of chardonnay later (I don't even drink chardonnay, so I'm not quite sure how that happened ...) -- I was hungry again and immediately had visions of our cab making a late-night burrito stop on the way home. I opted for late-night king crab legs (pictured), still coming out the kitchen. Clearly, we indulged and are fortunate to have had such a nice, drunken feast. Sure beats the holiday pot-lucks at the magazine I'm used to!

But the other story about the night was Madame Someone (shockingly, I can't remember her name), the palm reader, and Brigid (?) the tarot card reader, we had at our drunken disposal. I have a feeling some of the traders got some canned, trader-typical traits described to them -- I know Brian did. But what about me, a random guest?

For background: The palm reader had nothing to go on in terms of details and my body language, which was drunken body language. And the parts of my personality she called out were not exhibited in my interactions with her. Admittedly, if you're good at reading people, that alone can say a lot, no matter what condition they're in.

Here's what she said:

-- I'm very direct (YES -- confirmed by Brian). :)
-- I'm very confident and strong-willed (YES. And as a side note, she even hyphenated strong-willed correctly in her notes to me!).
-- I'm an expert teacher and trainer (YES. Well, I've been successful in those roles so far).
-- I'm extremely capable of juggling; I could raise a family, have a career AND do community work (no family yet, so we'll see, but I do juggle a lot, including community work).
-- Something else she noted that I keep under wraps, and she knew I keep it under wraps. Hah!

My palm and my birth date told her that this coming summer will be really strong for me: I'll gain expertise, responsibility and elevated status. I'll take it. Hopefully, this relates to some of the decisions I'm making about my life now. We'll see.

And then there's Madame Brigid, the Tarot card reader. Supposedly in the next 30 days I will be making a big decision that will bring a lot of change in January, and it'll all be for the best. She said something about being in communications and having fortune and luck on my side.

I've only been to one tarot card reader before -- I went with a friend who really wanted to go -- and was uber skeptical, determined to not give off any indication about whether or not she was right or offer any facts that would direct her. It was a horrible reading, although when you've got someone totally uptight across from you, I can't imagine you'd be at your best.

So what will the end of 2009 bring for me? I'll have to check back in in 30 days -- her fortunes were for a 30-day period. Wonder if there's a 30-day guarantee, too, because I fully intend of having a successful next 30 days. :)

Food Photos TK

2009-12-09T22:21:00.003-06:00

I owe this blog a food photo update -- it's been awhile. I've got enough photos, mostly from home, but the problem is that they're in two different places, and it's a bitch to download.

A good majority are on my phone, which means I have to send them to an online album through my Verizon account, then send them to my email address, download them, then upload to the blog. There's a "send to blog" option, but I must be doing something wrong, because it's not working (I've only had the phone for a short time, so maybe that's the problem).

The other photos are on my camera. It's really not that difficult to download 'em, but it takes time. It all does. And these days, I'm lacking the time to spend uploading, downloading, emailing and editing.

Ad class just ended (more on that later), so that should free me up. Stay tuned. Tonight's dinner alone is worth bragging about: it's Brian's take on my own recipe! Store-bought mushroom ravioli with a sauce of onions; orange and yellow peppers; tomatoes (not a whole lot though); olive oil; garlic; and rosemary.

My Belated Take on "Twilight:" Be Careful if You Love It, Be Careful If You Hate It

2009-12-09T08:48:00.001-06:00

I finally caved and watched "Twilight" this weekend, and, like my attraction to the bad boy I knew was no good for me, I can't stop thinking about it. The author and producers did a good job, because Lord knows idolizing the love affair between Edward and Bella is not healthy to dream about.

Listen to me! I sound like the jaded (or enlightened, depending how you look at it) feminist I read in Bitch magazine who ripped the oh-so-popular saga to shreds for its unrealistic, abusive and virginal themes. I should tell you I didn't avoid the movie entirely because of the article, even though the writer's argument was pretty strong; I just didn't get the vampire thing. Pastie white skin, creepy eyes and monotone dialogue are not hot. After all, you fall in love with characters because you relate to them in some way, right?

That's the scary part: there are controversial parts of this movie I related to, and I'm betting there are tons of scenes teenagers do too. Flash back to "Moby," the bad boy I dated years ago whose chemistry pulled me in but whose immaturity and rudeness "because he liked me so much" repulsed me. Thank God I had the clarity to know my limits and break it off. What about the teenagers idolizing these characters who think the Edward-Bella relationship is dreamy?

In my book, any guy -- Rob Pattinson or not -- who shows up uninvited in your bedroom while you're sleeping is creepy. Same thing if he's possessive, keeps you from your friends and gets rough when he's angry. Oh, and when a guy tells you, "I'm not good enough for you" or "I'm afraid to hurt you" -- he is and he will. Edward might not be a physical abuse case waiting to explode, but he does need vampire therapy -- and it's not pyschologically healthy for Bella to be involved with him.

When the movie ended, I didn't think it was so bad. Some parts were hot. Others I couldn't stop thinking about. I thought Bitch magazine had valid points but overreacted.

Yet each time I mulled the sexy-hot chemistry between Edward and Bella, I got hit with a pang of disgust. Four days of analyzing this movie and I finally realize my gut has been reacting to all those unhealthy parts of their relationship the same way it would when I was with a guy who was bad for me. Coincidence? I think not.

The good thing is I know this is a movie, and I think it's fun to get caught up in the attractive parts of their love affair. I watched "Twilight" twice. I even want to see "New Moon," despite hearing the cheese quotient is sky-high. And I may or may not have already downloaded the "Twilight" soundtrack (hey, it's good.).

If you haven't seen Twilight already and are skeptical for whatever reason, see it. Figure out what you do and don't like about it -- and why. At the very least, the characters will play in your head for a while, just as author Stephenie Meyer intended. It's a movie, right?

SaraZailskas.com is Up!

2009-12-06T09:29:00.000-06:00

SaraZailskas.com is up and running! Need something written? Edited? Take a gander, and let me know how I can help.

And if you know of anyone who owns a restaurant, please encourage them to have me proof their menus. It kills me each time I see sweet breads and sweetbreads used inconsistently ...

Coming Up: Ad Class Finals ... Web Site Launch

2009-12-05T13:51:00.000-06:00

This Tuesday will be the last ad class of the semester, and it's bittersweet. It'll be a relief to have the workload lifted, but it was fun to try something new. And I'll miss my classmates. Just like I remember in high school or college, the semester ends right when everyone starts clicking and getting comfortable around one another. Why does it always happen that way? Whether it's the 9-month school year coming to an end or, in the this case, a 9-week class, it always winds down the exact same.

Most of my classmates will continue on in the sequence. I'm going to take the marketing class in the spring but not do the ad classes. I would continue if I were getting more out of them that applied to my career, but I can't justify the $1,300 price tag at this point for something that's just fun.

***
As I write this, we're hours away -- pending all is activated properly by our friends at GoDaddy.com -- for the launch of my Web site, SaraZailskas.com. Shockingly, the site name wasn't taken, so I grabbed it up a few months ago and commissioned the fabulous Paula Girshman of Graphica29 to execute it. I thought it was pretty pathetic that I didn't have a Web site to send to people who were interested in hiring me as a freelance writer, editor and project manager. Way to join the land of the living, Sara!

Paula and I worked together at my current job on our award-winning digital magazine, and we kicked ass. No, really; we work together seamlessly, and our talents complement each other. Naturally I thought of her when I was ready to go.

I had the concept in mind for what I wanted, and she took it to a new level. My favorite part is the outline she did of a woman (me) sitting at a table and working. Check it out when you can.

If you want to work with Paula, you can reach her at paula@graphica29.com. And if you need a writer or editor, let me know. I've done everything from marketing copy to e-newsletters to books and theses, so whatever your task, I can help.

Running in the Right Step

2009-12-05T13:28:00.001-06:00

Sports life got 1,000 times better for me this week. I had my last consulting appointment with Coach Bill Leach to collect my gait analysis and go over steps for improvement. He gave me a 15-page report, went over steps for improvement and even had me running again with a corrected stride.

I already went for one short run -- my goal is to start short, frequent runs to get my body used to running regularly -- and it was pain-free. Pain free. I don't remember the last time I ran pain free -- if ever. And this is all from a couple simple exercises. Best $150 I spent (or rather, best gift ever: Brian's treat).

What my running video showed is that I generally have good running posture and excellent heel kicks, head position and arm rotation. The bad part was my gait: my feet begin to cross over when I run, my stride is too long and my hips were collapsing with each step. Actually, they weren't the only thing collapsing: each time I hit the ground, my entire posture would crash down, so I was effectively running up and down instead of straight. Each strike meant I was absorbing my entire body weight on one leg; in slow motion, it literally looks like I'm being clubbed over the neck at each step. It was actually painful to watch.

His analysis of exercises I did barefoot to check rotations and posture and such showed that I have a weaker lower back and abdomen; I've been working on core strength but apparently have not been doing so evenly. He also suspected my calves are tight -- and they definitely have been bothering me -- because my ankles aren't properly rotating either.

It sounds like it's easy to run, but it's not. This analysis has reiterated to me that some people's bodies can take running without proper technique, and others like mine can't. How many people really have proper technique, right?

Going forward, I'm doing exercises to build up my glutes, and I have backward running and pawing drills to do to keep my gait correct. This one backward running exercise he gives you is amazing; for some reason, running backward for about 20 meters and then taking off forward resets your gait and gets you running as you should be. Instant correction -- I love it. I feel like a pansy -- running "correctly" for distances does not look match the virilous postures of die-hard athletes in commercials or even running on the lakefront -- but I'll take that over feeling pain.

Tuck my abs in. Don't overreach. Swing the arms. Go. That's my mantra going forward.

It's exciting to want to run again.

Lula, You're Wonderful, But Cafe You Are Not

2009-12-03T12:56:00.007-06:00

Brian and I ventured to Lula Cafe yesterday -- finally! -- for Tuesday Night and were reminded that you can go to a restaurant and have every course and every dish taste great; sit in a spot-on, warm atmosphere with stellar service; and still be surprised with unique twists on familiar and unexpected ingredients alike. It lived up to the hype -- and there has been a lot of it (deservedly it turns out). But that's not what I want to write about.

Lula calls itself a cafe.

To Lula and all the other restaurants that tack on "cafe" to their name, I say: wtf.

A cafe is a little restaurant that serves coffee and maybe sandwiches and other light things. Merriam-Webster agrees! There are nice little tables to sit at and people watch, and you can generally hang out all day if you want. Only have a few bucks? Fear not, you can still get a drink and snack. I think of Paris, romance, traveling, puppies with their owners and all other cafe-type things that make them a great urban escape.

But there's a crop of restaurants posing as cafes, and they're ticking me off. Magnolia Cafe, Lula Cafe, Cafe 36 -- yeah, I'm talkin' to you. You serve pork dishes! You braise meats! And I have to drop a good $60 on a meal for two -- because it's dinner you serve, not a sandwich and soup with a side of wrought-iron furniture. If I had a dog, there would be no place to tie it up, which is standard cafe service protocol. Again, wtf.

Lula, you wonderful place, you: sadly you're guilty of this misnomer. Your short-rib stuffed rabbit was phenomenal but requires a full kitchen for preparation. Your sketchy locale (OK, Logan Square is *slowly* gentrifying, but it ain't there yet) does not allow for the relaxing people-watching I expect to at any cafe, and you open for dinner. Will you allow me to hang out all day at one of your fancy tables buying only a coffee and sandwich? I think not.

I wish these restaurants would just call themselves what they are and drop the "cafe." Or at least follow Cafe Too's example, which is closer. Stop messing with my expectations, even if you hit home runs on all other counts.

***
Why We Can't Wait to Go Back to Lula:
-- the fact our waiter was Mexican and our water boy was white (sorry, but how often do you see that?)
-- a great beet salad with myer (sp?) lemons and homemade ricotta
-- crispy sweetbreads with figs
-- a homemade pasta and pork dish (with more figs!) that oozes comfort
-- a great meritage for $9 a glass
-- kick-ass short-rib-stuffed quail with winter vegetables and pumpkin puree
-- and the carrot cake. Sure, carrot cake is carrot cake. But do other versions have Lula's frosting recipe? Nope. It's perfectly moist and carroty goodness.

Top 10 Reasons Journalists Won't Give Up Newspapers

2009-11-30T13:23:00.004-06:00

So you've probably heard about this whole publishing business model that isn't working. Yeah, I'm living it right now -- and I can tell you first-hand how difficult it's been for editorial teams and executives to wrap their heads around and figure out the new journalism (if you can call it that half the time).

Anyway, part of our assignment for ad class this week was to create our own Top 10 list a la David Letterman. I chose to speak near and dear to my heart and create the "Top 10 Reasons Journalists Won't Give Up Newspapers" list. What do you think?

Top 10 Reasons Journalists Won't Give Up Newspapers

10. Publishing yesterday’s news helps slow time.

9. Inky hands are a sign of intellectualism.

8. Still learning InDesign/InCopy 2006.

7. Rushing to make the “to printer” deadline still allows for pretty good accuracy rates.

6. The whole interacting-with-the-public thing is scary.

5. Mrs. Ethel Johnson of Sugar Grove would cancel her subscription.

4. Plans to sell newspapers on eBay as collectors editions would be foiled.

3. It’s fun to plan jump pages.

2. Still waiting to realize dream of yelling “Stop the Press!”

1. How else are people going to get the news?

Spin Class Ass Kicking No. 2

2009-11-30T13:19:00.002-06:00

Apparently, I'm not in the shape I was, nor was I taking as difficult a spin class as I thought at the Y. I went to spin this morning -- this class didn't have the hard-core instructor! -- and was once again barely able to keep up. Again.

But I'm good at hills! And I place in the top 10 percent for the bike on every race. Wtf?

I can only blame my bike and getting used to the gear settings so much; this is just a different breed of spinners at my new gym.

Good thing it's better to train with the best!

****

Speaking of spin, I'm not that thrilled with the morning instructor. She just jumped into class without stating a plan, e.g. "Today we're going to work on our endurance" or what have you, and she did a lot of jumps, where you stand out of your seat and sit down on counts of 4 to 8, usually -- or in her case, one-second counts. Jumps are dumb. They don't mimic outdoor cycling and hurt your knees.

I guess I should be thankful I have the 5:45 a.m. spin class and that it gets my heart rate up. Woot.

Thanksgiving: The Meal

2009-11-28T22:42:00.002-06:00

As you can see, Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's was a success. I cleaned my plate -- twice. Here's what it looked like to start:

Clockwise, from top: dark meat turkey with gravy; kugelis, my mom's Lithuanian potato and bacon specialty, with sour cream; stuffing; broccoli; canned cranberries; sweet potatoes with marshmallows; and frozen cranberry salad, which I would definitely like at one of my last meals and makes its rounds at every family holiday.

The above table is the adult table.

And this is the kiddie table. It doesn't matter that Brian's older than my cousin Debbie, who's at the adult table -- again -- but that's OK. Donna (pictured) is awesome, and we've determined the cool people sit at the kiddie table anyway. (And the wine's better.)

The biggest news though from Thanksgiving is that my mom showed up with a walker. Every time I see her, her back is worse, and her pain seems to be increasing. She technically could have used the walker a long time ago but was waiting until she couldn't not use it. Unfortunately that time has come.

I'll probably write about it later; it's a complex issue I don't feel like diving into. I just hate that she's so young and lives life in so much pain.

I'm thankful for Brian, my family and my friends; the luxury of food and everything else I take for granted; and my health. I so dearly appreciate my health.

Thanksgiving Day Ass-Kicking

2009-11-28T22:28:00.000-06:00

I got my ass kicked at 8:01 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

Brian informed me that Caroline, the spinning instructor with a cult following at my new gym, would be teaching a "short" hour-long class at 8 a.m.,and I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to break myself into the spinning bikes and get in a good workout. I arrived knowing full well that she's a hard-core cyclist whose following includes Ironman triathletes and elite amateurs; I'd joined Brian in a class years ago, a few months after I had started spinning, and hated the bikes, the room temperature and the spinning clique atmosphere so much I couldn't even give the class my all and was miserable. But that was then, and this Thanksgiving -- a full two years on the bike indoors and outdoors under my belt -- I felt I could do it.

Hah! I found myself following the same advice I give to newbie spinners, either in class for the first time or friends who are doing it for the first time: "If it's too difficult -- and it probably will be -- just take down the resistance. No one will know! Just keep peddling and do your best."

I can tell you right now that when you're dying, even that advice doesn't cut it. And it's exactly what Caroline told me before class.Caroline's super nice and was super welcoming and excited to have me in class (Brian told her I was joining the gym). But hearing the newbie pitch irked me a bit; I've been spinning and cycling -- in the "tough" classes, thank you very much! -- for over two years. Hearing myself lumped into that category hurt my ego.

So I got on the bike, and the ass kicking began at 8:01. But it was great! And she's great. She's more a coach than anything, and I can see why the die-hards do and die by her. As we did a "perceived exertion" exercise, in which you push yourself to the point the instructor's telling you you should be at, she walked around and yelled at people, including me, "Go harder! This is difficult for everyone! Harder!" She's petite with has dark curly hair but could pass for any drill sargent. She gets your ass in gear.

I nearly felt like puking but did push. I would love to take the class again after my body's adjusted to the bikes.

Alas, I had lowered the resistance.

I can't go to her class regularly because teachers while I'm just getting out of work. But maybe I can drag myself out of bed on Saturdays -- maybe. She teaches at 6:30 a.m. -- now that's hard core.

Too hard core for me? That's the difference between the die-hards and the committed folks like me, I guess.

San Soo Gab San Korean Barbecue: Great, Experience; Just Avoid 'The Thing'

2009-11-25T17:41:00.003-06:00

I've never done official Korean barbecue, which could have been a bad thing if I were intimidated by dozens of dishes filled with totally unfamiliar foods and tastes, or if I panicked at the sight of a mini barbecue pit sitting inches away from my plate. But if you go to San Soo Gab San in Lincoln Square, everything happens so quickly -- busy Korean women with barely any English plop about two dozen plates on your table within minutes of ordering, and the fire pit is shoved in the center of the table before your eyes can digest the contents of those bowls -- there's no time to panic. You just dive in and taste.

We ordered the Korean marinated pork and beef brisket to grill; all those dishes are automatic for the table. Meats are fatty and tasty as long as you don't think too hard about the women standing near the kitchen cutting up the meat strips with scissors and not wearing hair nets. I liked the pork rib the best.

This is a great place if you try new things. Just be prepared. If trying a new type of fish is your idea of living dangerously, this is not the place for you. You'll leave the restaurant not knowing much of what you ate. And some of it will taste bad -- not because it's not prepared properly, but because it will be assaultingly different. There's an odd potato salad sample that creeps in, but you'll find some flat-out wierd shit, including this thing:

We don't know what it is, but it's texture is akin to biting in to a rubber eraser with a density closer to Silly Putty. I don't know what the brown sauce is either, but it took everything in my power to not spit it out at the table -- perhaps one of the most difficult gulps of my life. I eat almost anything, but this crossed the line.

That said, it's a dynamic experience: the restaurant is casual and busy, and cooking your own food offers a charm. It's great for groups, even though you're squished into a table whether there's two or six of you.

I didn't start this blog by describing my disgusting experience because I didn't want it to set the tone for the whole restaurant. This is a great place. Just go easy on the rubber eraser plant thing.

Goodbye to My Gym

2009-11-23T12:36:00.000-06:00

This morning I said goodbye to the Y, finally making the plunge to work out at Brian's gym full-time. It's bittersweet, for all the reasons I've written. But I'm mentally there, which was a big step.

I've had my new membership card since the beginning of November and immediately began swimming in my new pool, which is 1,000 times better than the Y's. A 25 meter pool that is constantly open for lap swim made it an easy transition. But I couldn't give up spin class until today, even though the Monday instructor's workouts haven't been doing it for me for a while, and even though my new gym features more classes. The bikes are nicer at my old gym. And more importantly, I like the people.

Oddly, top of mind is Lila (name's changed), a mentally challenged and bi-polar woman who comes every single morning and I think in the evening, too. She has a habit for blurting out really disturbing parts of her past in the middle of a conversation, and she sometimes calls you out on things -- she finds them at 5:30 in the morning, believe it or not -- that no other person would bring up. But she's a positive force and always means well. I made a point not to let her know I was leaving until the very second, afraid she'd tell people -- and with the wrong facts -- before I could. She found out in class, and as I left she told me she'd miss me, and I actually reciprocated the sentiment genuinely.

We also have Elaine, a Jewish woman with a lot of spunk and energy. She's a workout diva, and even though we're not in the same circle, per se, she was always excited to include me on invitations to her jewelry parties and whatnot. She wanted to swap emails b/c she said I'm motivating her to do the Chicago Triathlon. She's 10 times more in shape than I am, but apparently she likes the push. I'm happy to help.

I'll really miss Diana. I'm not the only one stupid enough to travel to the Y at 5 a.m. in the middle of an ice storm; Diana does the same thing. She has a genuinely calming and nice presence that unites everyones.

I made sure to say goodbye to Carol, a woman who used is ALWAYS smiling, last Friday, when I started telling my Y friends I'd be leaving. She once referred to me as the perfect little sister she never had. Hah! If only she were around me all the time. Carol used to come twice a week, but now is lucky to make it to one morning class -- and not the one I take. If I had continued to see her regularly, there's a good chance I would still be at the Y.

I can't forget Bert, or Stan, or Amy, or Stacey, who swiped our cards in the morning and had mine memorized. Or Megan, the instructor with great interveral workouts and whose music taste matched my perfectly. The last class of hers I went to she even played nearly an entire class of songs I had swapped with her. Ironic -- it made it hard to leave!

In fact, it's the people above, and the other people whose names I never learned, that I loved seeing every morning for two-and-a-half years. If any of us were gone for a week, we'd inquire about what was new.

I didn't mention KC yet, and on purpose. KC is 75-year-old woman who's at the pool every morning. But don't get an image of an elderly lady in your head. KC was a weight-lifting instructor and swim teacher with no body fat. She rides her bike to the Y every morning except in the snow -- possibly the rain, if it's light enough -- from Devon to School. She teaches at multiple gyms, too, and knows everything and everyone. She's a striking woman -- silver hair that would make any gray-haired person envious and very high cheekbones -- with a history of raising kids, living all across the U.S. (including Alaska), and sports. Lots of sports. In her 40s she took up figure competitions b/c she was bored. She'd been on basketball teams and was an official Red Cross lifeguard for years, too. There's more to her that I don't even know.

Don't get me wrong, she wasn't perfect. Sometimes KC got annoying. She was very entitled to her opinion and occassionally would spout off on the way my generation is handling things. Sometimes she wouldn't shut up, and all I wanted to do was *not* talk. But you couldn't help but appreciate her. She'd offer me personal training tips (did I mention she's a personal trainer, too?) when I was injured and she could tell I was still trying to work out, and she always had a story to tell to back up her argument. Pointless chatter is not in KC's repetoire.

The day after my boss was fired, I went to work out despite not having any sleep and feeling sick. After swimming a mere three laps, I left the pool. That morning she had tried to be chatty and talk, and I gave her a really dirty just-leave-me-alone look while I answered whatever her question or comment of the day was. I was so busy feeling sorry for myself I didn't even feel bad for being rude.

The next couple weeks I was barely around the gym -- I was sick, had a business trip and also started swimming at my new gym -- so I didn't see KC for a while. When she did finally see mer, she took a good look and asked, "Sara, how are you. The day you got out of the pool, I knew something was wrong. I said, Sara never gets out of the pool. I've been so worried about you."

I felt horrible and thankful for her at the same time. I filled her in, and she was understanding and glad to hear things were going better. She related about life -- as she always does -- and said I was justified in everything I felt. This is all in a quick conversation at 5:20 a.m.

She's representative of the people at the Y. If someone fell out of habit, we'd check in. We care about each other's well-being and like having each other around.

Elaine asked me if I were going to do the Tour de Farms with the Y team this year -- I really wanted to last spring but had my cousin's wedding to go to -- and provided I'm allowed to join their team, I just might do it. It would be great to see the people I'd come to know as my Y family. Lord knows my new gym won't have that same community, but we shall see.

A Successful Friend Thanksgiving!

2009-11-22T17:00:00.006-06:00

Check out that spread.. Isn't it beautiful?

That's Clive, Kelly, Kelly's friend/our friend Jen, Patrick and Brian yesterday at a very successful and gluttonous Friend Thanksgiving. Clive and Kelly -- who hosted a Thanksgiving last year that Brian and I visited after my own family's -- will be in Napa Thursday and invited us all over to celebrate anyway. This is the group Brian and I have spent the past few New Year's with and who comes with us to Jazz Fest. It's a great group dynamic -- we're all on the same page in terms of level of energy, being adventurous with food and just being genuine people, I'd say -- so Friend Thanksgiving celebrated that and then some.

Our spread had a lot of garlic. Pictured you'll see Brian's garlic mashed potatoes; sweet potatoes in a sage and butter sauce; turkey sausage dressing; fancy green bean and garlic casserole; homemade cranberry sauce; brown-n-serve rolls (the best!) and of course, turkey. The turkey was juicy -- they got a fresh one, which apparently is really difficult to order for the weekend before Thanksgiving -- and the eight or nine bottles of wine we killed (there were six of us) tasted more fantastic as the night went on.

My contribution: redneck crab dip and jump shrimp. Jen brought amazing chocolate chess square and Dutch custard apple pies.

Can't go wrong when you hit all the right notes.

Are we lucky or what? We're surrounded by good people and amazing food to share. Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday because, as my former boss summarized it, there's no other focus than getting together with people you care about and being thankful for everything life's given you. No presents to distract, nor stress over a tree. Kelly made a point to keep the stress of dinner to a minimum; it was a perfect combination of home-cooked food and store-bought goodness.

During dinner we went around the table and said what we're thankful for. Some of the offerings: "That we all have jobs." "Friends." "Malbec."

Happy Thanksgiving.

REDNECK CRAB DIP
1 can white crab meat
1 package cream cheese (reduced fat OK)
1/2 lemon
garlic powder
cocktail sauce
crackers

Mix the crab meat, cream cheese and a sizable sprinkling of garlic powder in a bowl; squeeze 1/2 lemon into it and mix thoroughly. Form into a ball and place in dish; top with cocktail sauce so it's about 1/2 covered. Serve with crackers.

So, this whole gait change stuff...

2009-11-22T16:49:00.002-06:00

I finally started the homework that Coach Leach gave me in my first steps to a new foot strike. I had to do them at work during my lunch break, part at my desk, part in a hidden corner of the parking lot.

I probably look like a moron in either exercise: in one, I'm standing straight, putting all my weight on one foot, and reaching back to touch the ground with my toe with my other foot. The other exercise -- the one I made sure to remain hidden -- involves walking backward.

10 sets of 10 repetition up to10 times a day, for both. That's a shit-load of exercises, and I'm coming nowhere near what I should be doing. How in the world will this every improve? They're not particuarly comfortable, either; both require a lot of core strength, which I have, but they work different muscles than I'm used to. My lower back kills. So these aren't a piece of cake, either.

I had to reschedule the appointment, so at least that buys me a little time for improvement before my first check-in with him.

Gait Analysis with Bill Leach: Visit 1

2009-11-18T13:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I had my first appointment with running coach Bill Leach for my gait analysis, and I'm eager to find out the results.

When you go see Coach Leach, he videotapes your running on a treadmill from the side; your running directly from and to the camera; your running to and from the camera at an angle; and all sorts of posture positions, which can include standing normally with your shoes off and balancing on one leg while touching the other foot with your opposite hand. All on video. I wobbled a little on the balancing stuff, and I'm bummed about it because I have better core strength than that -- and core strength is what he preaches. Oh well, we shall see what his detailed report says. (He actually hands you a small binder.)

Couple things:

1) To best view your body as it runs, he needs you to wear contrasting colored tops and bottoms, and they have to be situated on your body so he can see your hips. That means I had to tuck a loose -- not baggy, but loose enough -- shirt into stretch running pants. It all looks atrocious, because a) the baggy shirt bulges from underneath the stretch pants, and b) I have a very high waist. Nice visual, huh? And it's all on camera! Thankfully, only he and I see the video.

2) We watched the video, and the initial assessment of my running is that my foot strikes far in front of my body, which is bad. I was expecting that, b/c it seems that most runners have this problem. The other thing is my feet somewhat cross over each other when I'm running. I'd never have known without that video!

We'll see how he treats the latter. As for the former, I already have homework of exercises to do to get my body comfortable with my feet landing further back.

More homework. I'm balancing so much right now -- freelance projects, ad class homework, working out, another side project, quality time with my man, and more -- that the last thing I wanted was more homework. But here we are. And I'll get it done.

My next appt. is Tuesday. To be continued!

My First Trip to Disney

2009-11-15T18:29:00.003-06:00

My name is Sara. I'm 29 years old. And I've finally been to Disneyland. (!)

I've been incommunicado the past week mainly because I was traveling four days for business. Unfortunately for me, I had to leave Chicago for warm, sunny Anaheim, where I observed an award judging for work. I left knowing I'd be in a conference room from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at best, with evening activities to boot. I didn't plan on going to the park (and didn't see how I could do it with 3 hours of free time), even though I'd never been, and even though it was walking distance away. I credit my ambivalence with not being a "Disney kid," and therefore not being a Disney adult. My favorite Disney movies were Lady and the Tramp and The Little Mermaid, and I did fancy Snow White and Cinderella. But Bambi scared me, I thought Beauty and the Beast was lame, Fantasia -- my aunt's favorite -- put me to sleep, and I as I grew up, I just didn't follow all things Disney. My parents didn't pump me with Disney memorabilia either.

So when my plane touched down and I found myself in Anaheim, I was more interested in finding a few moments to walk outside in the sun (didn't happen) than score a few hours in a park that would cost a shitload of money ($72).

But you can't stay at Disneyland -- we were at the outdated but still phenomenally run Paradise Pier -- and not want to load up on Mickey, Minnie and whomever those other animal characters are ("I saw Lylo -- or is it pronounced LeeeLo??"). The toiletries have Mickey Mouse ears on them, and and the room service menu featured the iconic Mickey-Mouse-shaped Waffle. I don't order room service, and I don't order waffles. But by golly, I put Mickey-Mouse-waffles on my to-do list.

That was Day 1. Day 2 I couldn't resist and bought a Twilight Pass for business travelers with a few hours to spare and took off solo.

I loved Disneyland. You can see it in my face here, on Pirates of the Caribbean Ride:

My 3.5 hours in the park -- at night no less -- were magical. Maybe they were more magical at night -- I'm told you can see how outdated and run-down looking the park looks during the day, and I probably would have nit-picked things. But at night, all you can see are twinkly lights, and all you can hear is old-fashioned music that takes you back to being a kid ("It's a small world" and the like). I think I also liked it because I went mid-week, in the fall, and in the evening, so fewer families were around to get annoying.

I can't say that it was all I thought it would be, because I never really wanted to go. Yet within moments of crossing the front gate, I was struck with a pang of sadness when I realized all I'd missed out on as a kid. There was a year or two when I really wanted to go to Disneyland or Disneyworld, around fourth grade. I had asked about it previously because my friends talked about it, and I remember my mom talking about how expensive it was -- too expensive for us. After all, we took road trips to Michigan and used a friend's house for vacation.

I didn't argue, and didn't feel bad about it. But I did bring it up in fourth grade after my parents received a settlement from a car accident we were in. I remember they got about $3,000, which I realized was nearly enough to pay for a trip for our family to go on the Big Red Boat -- I figured it was better than my mom's having to walk around a theme park, which was another reason we couldn't go (she's disabled). I did all the research and presented my case to my parents, but I was rejected. I can't remember what we did with the money, but everything seemed to go toward bills. I forgot about it and moved on to wanting something else, like New Kids on the Block concert tickets (didn't go either).

So this pang of sadness that hit me: it made me tear up. I didn't feel sorry for myself, I just regretted missing out as a kid. Every kid was soo happy. And the few that started to have a meltdown were easily distracted by the next cool thing that was around the corner.

Of course, it's easy to bribe a kid to be quiet when all you have to do is reach for the magic wand they want to buy or buy some Mickey Mouse ears to keep 'em quiet. I went to Disney because I had the time and the finances -- I even got a discount to boot. I can see why my parents didn't take me; the place sucks you dry. Nothing's cheap. And who goes to Disney and doesn't get a souvenier? I came away with Christmas ornaments and Pirate scopes for Brian's nephews. I can only imagine how much parents have to buy.

I also came away with a greater appreciation for Walt Disney. His parks run seamlessly, and even staying at Paradise Pier I had the staff at my hands. I couldn't get my Mickey Waffle because I had to leave before room service began. But I've been told that that particular hotel even would make it happen. Also impressive: there were healthy food options at every food kiosk I saw -- even vendors devoted to selling fruits and other healthy snacks. It's a small detail that I imagine goes far with concerned parents.

So my trip to Disney really was special. In my 3.5 hours I rode Indiana Jones' adventure, Space Mountain (my favorite), the Alice in Wonderland ride, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and some London streetcar thing. The hot dog and hamburger I had (can you tell I bypassed the healthy food?) were actually really good. I got a glimpse of Mickey during the Fantasia or Fantasma or whatever it's called show, too, and saw the fireworks. Good times.

I don't hate my parents for not taking me, but I was happy to be able to go. Now I just have to get back.

***
All the food I had -- at the hotel for the business meeting, in the theme parks, and at a formal dinner -- was good. Damn, Disney. You don't disappoint.

In a related note, we had dinner at the Napa Rose restaurant, which I recommend if you're looking for fine dining in Anaheim. I had scallops in a lobsert bisque for an appetizer and pheasant with fall lentils and shmears (don't remember what was in it -- too busy talking to digest the menu!) for my main.The execution was spot on, and the staff really attentive. Someone did order the venison, which they were out of. And how do they tell you this? "The Mouse has spoken, and we're unfortunately out of the venison." I'll have to use that line sometime.

And in the midst of tragedy, triumph

2009-11-07T11:50:00.004-06:00

So this week our boss was fired. And then I got sick. And then I had to wrap my head around big changes. It's been a tough week.

But then this morning I found out my team won a national Gold Award -- top honor -- for Digital Magazine-General Excellence in the first-ever Digital "Azbees" from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. I had to email everyone who worked on it at their personal address because I'm the only one who still works there. It's weird, but it doesn't take away my pride in our team's winning this award. It was a short-lived project, but the digital magazine concept was brand-new to the industry.

When we started, the few digital magazines around were exact replicas of their print editions with a few links added in at most. But having a cool page flip (see examples below this post) doesn't cut it. They were hard to read because of the lack of design -- print size fonts and design don't translate well to the screen -- and, without including links, audio and video, didn't give you any reason to read a digital magazine other than that it's being online. We redesigned our product for use on a computer and to make the most of digital technology, allowing readers to have direct links to more information and first-hand interviews and other sources of information via audio and video.

And we succeeded, at least in the execution. Housing Giants' hey day came when the industry crashed, advertising dried up and the folks who were advertising didn't want to risk the few dollars they had left on a new concept. Hence, no more Housing Giants.

To win these awards, we had to present two consecutive issues of the magazine that showed, in addition to solid reporting and writing, that we made effective use of digital media in our storytelling as journalists. Feel free to check out the issues we submitted, below. The features really showcase the multimedia technology. There were opportunities to include more A/V, but we had to choose wisely what to include based on time and quality.

March 15, 2009: The 2009 National Sales and Marketing Awards Coverage
March 1, 2009: Profile on Dave Kosco, Bassenian/Lagoni Architects