The To-Do List is Done

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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.