Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Runner's Almanac - 18 miles and a fall
I had been trying to mentally prepare for today's 18 mile run, including hydrating the day before and getting some good protein in. Aside from getting to sleep early though, my mental preparation wasn't at the level I had hoped for. When I got to the starting line today, it didn't feel like I was about to run 18 miles. Maybe that's a good thing. Since daylight savings had ended, it wasn't dark this morning at 6:00am, but it was cold, and it remained cold for much of the morning. Our first three miles felt pretty great, and our mentors kept us at pace, if not a little below. I became fast friends with my running buddy next to me, and I commiserated with him over the fact his iPod was acting all funny and he wasn't able to listen to the songs he had meticulously chosen the night before for today's run. Eventually, his iPod did work. When I turned my iPod on around mile 5, I was happy to have it, but about 4 or 5 miles later it went kaput. That was ok, I'm happy to run with the playlist in my head. At one point, a girl behind me was singing the lyrics to a song she was listening to, so that was enjoyable as well.
We ran through Santa Monica and into Venice and continued South to Marina del Rey. We navigated past the Cheescake Factory at Mother's Beach, and past the Ritz Carlton, where sadly, no one was outside eating pancakes over which I could salivate. We then went further into the Marina and made it just till Fisherman's village, when we had to turn around. On our back, unfortunately, my running buddy took a nasty fall and when I turned around to see what happened, I saw he had stumbled in a narrow passageway between the parkinglot and the street. When he got up his finger was bleeding badly, and he mentioned that he was afraid he had broken it, after recently recuperating from breaking it just recently. I gave him a sanitzed wipey I carried with myself and a gulp of my water for his cut. One of our helpers, Larissa, stayed behind with him. I felt aweful. Especially, since he had mentioned his wife was recovering from a running fall of her own. Hope he got better and will see him next week.
There is a point during these long runs when we seem to lose people. By the time we got to mile 17, the group seemed to dwindle a bit, and there was a point when we were less than a mile a way, when my right knee was bothering me. I thought of stopping and walking the rest as well. But I stuck it out, and after that incline from the Pier back up to Ocean, it was a good feeling to be done with the run.
The hardest part today, aside from my partner's injury, was working on my mental stamina. My body was able to do it - It was mind that I was working on. Running, even in a group, can be very singular. It's just you out there on the road.
I got home and immediately drank some post-run chocolate milk, recommended after a long session. Then the aches and pains started to settle in. All morning 18 miler, 3 hours and 40 minutes. Now I am catching up on some tv.
We ran through Santa Monica and into Venice and continued South to Marina del Rey. We navigated past the Cheescake Factory at Mother's Beach, and past the Ritz Carlton, where sadly, no one was outside eating pancakes over which I could salivate. We then went further into the Marina and made it just till Fisherman's village, when we had to turn around. On our back, unfortunately, my running buddy took a nasty fall and when I turned around to see what happened, I saw he had stumbled in a narrow passageway between the parkinglot and the street. When he got up his finger was bleeding badly, and he mentioned that he was afraid he had broken it, after recently recuperating from breaking it just recently. I gave him a sanitzed wipey I carried with myself and a gulp of my water for his cut. One of our helpers, Larissa, stayed behind with him. I felt aweful. Especially, since he had mentioned his wife was recovering from a running fall of her own. Hope he got better and will see him next week.
There is a point during these long runs when we seem to lose people. By the time we got to mile 17, the group seemed to dwindle a bit, and there was a point when we were less than a mile a way, when my right knee was bothering me. I thought of stopping and walking the rest as well. But I stuck it out, and after that incline from the Pier back up to Ocean, it was a good feeling to be done with the run.
The hardest part today, aside from my partner's injury, was working on my mental stamina. My body was able to do it - It was mind that I was working on. Running, even in a group, can be very singular. It's just you out there on the road.
I got home and immediately drank some post-run chocolate milk, recommended after a long session. Then the aches and pains started to settle in. All morning 18 miler, 3 hours and 40 minutes. Now I am catching up on some tv.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Runner's Almanac - Day 70, 16 miles
It's 6:00am and I am standing in the dark beachside in Santa Monica with a handful of others like me waiting for a long 3 hour journey ahead of us. Equipped with shorts, my gear belt and my "Gu" belt, I do some mild stretches. I'm excited and ready to go. Soon, other journeymen join our group and we are nearly 30 people. Our goal today is 16 miles. A few of us will do less, and some will join us when we pass our first 3 mile mark. One of our mentors, John, will turn around for 8miles since he training for the NYC Marathon next weekend.
It's lucky that we start at 6:00am - It is early enough and still dark that I am running in a partly dream state. We make our initial 3 mile loop after which I turn to my running buddy Teresa and ask, "That was only 3 miles?" She sympathizes. Sometimes 3 miles feels more than 3 miles. But like any long distance, the beginning can often be the hardest. Once we get going, the sun will come out, our doubts will subside, and some of us may even experience a few moments of that "runner's high". And some of us do...at about mile 14. Luckily, it can be contagious.
The route today takes up through Santa Monica and Venice and then south to Marina del Rey. We run by the marina, pass the chic brunch crowd eating their twenty-five dollar croissants at the Ritz Carlton, and carefully navigate alongside the fancy gold colored fire hydrants on the sidewalk. Mother's Beach comes and goes, and we pass by Cheesecake Factory early in the morning. Some parts of the Marina route are less interesting that others - it's a lot of parking and pavement, but the unusualness of it makes the run less dull. On our turnaround point at the Marina Yacht club, we take a different route back and I find myself running along a canal in Venice, on a trail of packed dirt snug in between the water and the front gardens of some lovely homes. The scents of rosemary and lavendar are a welcome treat, and the stairs along the dirt corridor add some cross training. I'm really loving this part. It's hard, but I'm loving it.
After we cross the bridge and get back to Venice Beach, I see more running groups out and about including the LA Roadrunners and their large groups and a smaller AIDS running group. Just like the first few miles, the last few miles can also be difficult. We keep our brief walking breaks in each mile. Teresa and I agree that a walk, however brief, only reminds us of our body aches and pains and makes it more difficult to find our stride. It's at this point that I really feel the bones in my body. It's not soft and gentle and cushioned - but hard and skeletal. Thankfully, a runner in our group (whose name I have now forgotten) DID get a case of runner's high and passed it along to a few of us. By the time we get back to the Senior Center in Santa Monica, we are pooped. We also learn that our 16 miles measures about 15.8. But we all agree that this is only a technicality and the walk back to our cars should make up for the remaining mileage.
Thanks to all who ran in the 12 minute/mile pace group on Saturday - the group energy was really great.
Happy running!
It's lucky that we start at 6:00am - It is early enough and still dark that I am running in a partly dream state. We make our initial 3 mile loop after which I turn to my running buddy Teresa and ask, "That was only 3 miles?" She sympathizes. Sometimes 3 miles feels more than 3 miles. But like any long distance, the beginning can often be the hardest. Once we get going, the sun will come out, our doubts will subside, and some of us may even experience a few moments of that "runner's high". And some of us do...at about mile 14. Luckily, it can be contagious.
The route today takes up through Santa Monica and Venice and then south to Marina del Rey. We run by the marina, pass the chic brunch crowd eating their twenty-five dollar croissants at the Ritz Carlton, and carefully navigate alongside the fancy gold colored fire hydrants on the sidewalk. Mother's Beach comes and goes, and we pass by Cheesecake Factory early in the morning. Some parts of the Marina route are less interesting that others - it's a lot of parking and pavement, but the unusualness of it makes the run less dull. On our turnaround point at the Marina Yacht club, we take a different route back and I find myself running along a canal in Venice, on a trail of packed dirt snug in between the water and the front gardens of some lovely homes. The scents of rosemary and lavendar are a welcome treat, and the stairs along the dirt corridor add some cross training. I'm really loving this part. It's hard, but I'm loving it.
After we cross the bridge and get back to Venice Beach, I see more running groups out and about including the LA Roadrunners and their large groups and a smaller AIDS running group. Just like the first few miles, the last few miles can also be difficult. We keep our brief walking breaks in each mile. Teresa and I agree that a walk, however brief, only reminds us of our body aches and pains and makes it more difficult to find our stride. It's at this point that I really feel the bones in my body. It's not soft and gentle and cushioned - but hard and skeletal. Thankfully, a runner in our group (whose name I have now forgotten) DID get a case of runner's high and passed it along to a few of us. By the time we get back to the Senior Center in Santa Monica, we are pooped. We also learn that our 16 miles measures about 15.8. But we all agree that this is only a technicality and the walk back to our cars should make up for the remaining mileage.
Thanks to all who ran in the 12 minute/mile pace group on Saturday - the group energy was really great.
Happy running!
Monday, October 5, 2009
San Jose Rock n Roll Half-Marathon rocks!
The night before the run, I lay all my necessities out on the credenza in my hotel room. For anyone who knows me personally, you knowI don’t decide on my outfit to work the night before, or anything like that. But then again, I’m not usually excited to go to work. So onto the credenza I organize my belt (no bottle attachments, just a pouch), a hand full of Gu with a Gu belt, race day outfit, hat, glasses, gloves, kerchief, Band-Aids, tissues, a plastic baggy just in case. Now I just make sure my alarm is set so I remember to wake up in the morning.
The day of the race, I make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pack up, and head downstairs. On my way to drop off my bags and check out, I pass elite runner Meb Keflezighi and his crew in a small lounging area in the lobby. Meb looks focused and ready (he ends up setting a 20K record later that morning and winning the race). It is packed with expectant runners outside and the air is crisp and nice for a long run. I find a volunteer to help me pin the 2:30 pace bib on my back, and I go searching for the pace group amidst the crowded corrals – which are all roped off before the start. Everyone is excited to get started. Some local notables greet us and a fabulous singer delivers her rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”.
Although this is the Rock n Roll half marathon, there is no band at the start and looking back, I don’t recall any DJ or noticeable music at all. If there was a DJ, it was more background music than anything else. I also decide not to use my iPod since I want to take in all the sights and sounds. Since this is a destination run for me, I want to explore everything about my trip. Soon we start off, and it is about 4 minutes into the race by the time our corral makes it to the official start. After leaving the downtown area, the route is pretty residential and weaves through many neighborhoods – It reminds me of the pretty yet cozy streets of Pasadena actually. Although I was told that this is a popular even in San Jose, there are not a lot of fans out, compared to the LA Marathon.
The first 4 or so miles go by very well. I actually have to check myself since I want to go at a faster pace – The excitement can do that to you. But I know if I want to make it to the end, it’s smarter to stay with my pace group. I become familiar with the other runners around me. There is an elder gentleman with a biblical quote on his back about God giving him strength. It’s always good to run close to a man of God, so I keep him in my sights. At some point, Sharky who is the mascot for a local sports team, also decides to run with us. But we outrun him – Poor shark.
Around mile 7 or so, one of the other runners in our pace group strikes up a conversation with me. Her name is Laura, a San Jose local and alumni of Santa Clara University, completing her first half marathon. She had run with Team in Training before, doing a triathlon in Hawaii. Laura just had a baby 6 months ago, and although she “hated” running, it really helped her lose weight, and she was very happy about it. We ran together for about 3 miles, and I give her one of my Gu's. I’m thankful to have a buddy for these few miles, and around mile 10 or 11, she falls behind a bit and I rejoin the pace group.
I should mention that although we take walk breaks with the LA Leggers training back home, I decide today only to take walk breaks at water stops or when I absolutely need to. I end up walking for about 2.5 minutes total. I am reminded of our walk breaks at the LA Marathon and how it was more difficult to start back up again after walking even for a minute. It seems those few seconds walking are enough to register any pain in the body.
The last couple miles are the most difficult, and once I make it past the finish line, I have to hold back the tears. Any runner knows that it takes as much mental stamina to run a long distance as physical endurance, and this is no exception for me. My final time is almost spot on my goal: 2:30:05! I accept my finisher’s medal – which is rather heavy, but snazzy – and check out the booths at the finish line. I also see another LA Legger, Patricia, as she crosses in her pink LA Legger shirt. I love to cheer on runners after I’m done with a race, so I walk backgrounds and cheer and congratulate the runners and walkers who finish after me.
The best part now? An hour and a half live performance by rock/blues performer Jonny Lang. This guy is amazing.
So will I run San Jose again next year? Maybe. It is a great crowd and the weather this time of year is really ideal. I would prefer more music along the route, but I guess you get what you can get. The bands are spaced out about every mile or so, and that mile with no musical distraction is noticeable running along quiet streets. The course is also nice – mostly flat with a couple of inclines – but as it is largely residential, the atmosphere could be more varied if possible. Would love more spectators, but unfortunately, running doesn’t seem to get as many as other sports. San Jose is a lovely city and this is a great race and distance for a first timer.
The day of the race, I make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pack up, and head downstairs. On my way to drop off my bags and check out, I pass elite runner Meb Keflezighi and his crew in a small lounging area in the lobby. Meb looks focused and ready (he ends up setting a 20K record later that morning and winning the race). It is packed with expectant runners outside and the air is crisp and nice for a long run. I find a volunteer to help me pin the 2:30 pace bib on my back, and I go searching for the pace group amidst the crowded corrals – which are all roped off before the start. Everyone is excited to get started. Some local notables greet us and a fabulous singer delivers her rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”.
Although this is the Rock n Roll half marathon, there is no band at the start and looking back, I don’t recall any DJ or noticeable music at all. If there was a DJ, it was more background music than anything else. I also decide not to use my iPod since I want to take in all the sights and sounds. Since this is a destination run for me, I want to explore everything about my trip. Soon we start off, and it is about 4 minutes into the race by the time our corral makes it to the official start. After leaving the downtown area, the route is pretty residential and weaves through many neighborhoods – It reminds me of the pretty yet cozy streets of Pasadena actually. Although I was told that this is a popular even in San Jose, there are not a lot of fans out, compared to the LA Marathon.
The first 4 or so miles go by very well. I actually have to check myself since I want to go at a faster pace – The excitement can do that to you. But I know if I want to make it to the end, it’s smarter to stay with my pace group. I become familiar with the other runners around me. There is an elder gentleman with a biblical quote on his back about God giving him strength. It’s always good to run close to a man of God, so I keep him in my sights. At some point, Sharky who is the mascot for a local sports team, also decides to run with us. But we outrun him – Poor shark.
Around mile 7 or so, one of the other runners in our pace group strikes up a conversation with me. Her name is Laura, a San Jose local and alumni of Santa Clara University, completing her first half marathon. She had run with Team in Training before, doing a triathlon in Hawaii. Laura just had a baby 6 months ago, and although she “hated” running, it really helped her lose weight, and she was very happy about it. We ran together for about 3 miles, and I give her one of my Gu's. I’m thankful to have a buddy for these few miles, and around mile 10 or 11, she falls behind a bit and I rejoin the pace group.
I should mention that although we take walk breaks with the LA Leggers training back home, I decide today only to take walk breaks at water stops or when I absolutely need to. I end up walking for about 2.5 minutes total. I am reminded of our walk breaks at the LA Marathon and how it was more difficult to start back up again after walking even for a minute. It seems those few seconds walking are enough to register any pain in the body.
The last couple miles are the most difficult, and once I make it past the finish line, I have to hold back the tears. Any runner knows that it takes as much mental stamina to run a long distance as physical endurance, and this is no exception for me. My final time is almost spot on my goal: 2:30:05! I accept my finisher’s medal – which is rather heavy, but snazzy – and check out the booths at the finish line. I also see another LA Legger, Patricia, as she crosses in her pink LA Legger shirt. I love to cheer on runners after I’m done with a race, so I walk backgrounds and cheer and congratulate the runners and walkers who finish after me.
The best part now? An hour and a half live performance by rock/blues performer Jonny Lang. This guy is amazing.
So will I run San Jose again next year? Maybe. It is a great crowd and the weather this time of year is really ideal. I would prefer more music along the route, but I guess you get what you can get. The bands are spaced out about every mile or so, and that mile with no musical distraction is noticeable running along quiet streets. The course is also nice – mostly flat with a couple of inclines – but as it is largely residential, the atmosphere could be more varied if possible. Would love more spectators, but unfortunately, running doesn’t seem to get as many as other sports. San Jose is a lovely city and this is a great race and distance for a first timer.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Runner's Almanac - Day 41, 12 miles
I'm posting my long run from my Runner's almanac today.
Today was our scheduled 12 mile long run. I have not run 12 miles since the LA Marathon, and only a few times before then, so I was apprehensive this morning when I finally got out of bed. It was a “race day” like feeling – excitement mixed with a little bit of fear, mixed with a little bit of “what the hell am I doing?”. I have a passing notion of not going at all. After the run, I have an afternoon of working my second job – a lot of standing on my feet after hours of pounding on them. But in my running, I am determined, and know I need this mileage before my upcoming half-marathon. When I do finally wake up, it is about half an hour past my intended get-up time. Yikes! My mind races on everything I will need to carry – strap on here, stick in that pocket there. Water, food, sunglasses sunblock, Band-Aids, alcoholic wipes. I grab extra Band-Aids just in case. You never know.
I hope the day is not as warm as the unexpected autumnal heat trend we have been having this week. Of course it is never that hot by the beach but even a little bit of sun can make the difference between slightly pleasant and slightly unbearable. Once there, I join my group – we are about 25 today – and introduce myself to my running partner, Theresa. Soon, we are off. Within a mile of our run, it happens, what we all fear (no, I didn’t get hit by a car) but I did I trip on a rock, fall down hard and scrape my knee. Luckily, my fall did not create an avalanche of other runners becoming beachside road kill. As I get up and prepare to rejoin Theresa, a runner behind me wisely recommends I take some time. I look at my knee. Blood is gently spilling from the small wounds. Hmmm… He’s right. I grab the alcoholic wipes and Band-Aids I brought and start cleaning it up. Unfortunately, the Band-Aids don’t stick since the blood hasn’t ceased. I decide to run the mile back to the senior center and get some additional first aid. Although I would have probably just run in that condition, I didn’t want to scare any of the children with my blood spattered knee. Not a good early morning sight. So I clean up and meet up with the group at the 3 mile mark. If I had to fall today, at least it happened early in the run – Now I have 9 miles to go!
Aside from that adventure, the run was great. Really really great. I had never run to the Marina and the way the sun sparkled off the water was truly pretty. We went a little further before realizing we missed our cut off point, so our total mileage for the day was a little over 12 miles. The last couple of miles was difficult, and it helped that I played musical chairs with my racing buddies – More distractions make for running to go by that much quicker.
Once again, the route was filled with different runners, most notably the various Roadrunner groups who recently started their training. You can’t miss them with their orange shirts. And you can’t miss us with our shirts either. But I gotta say, I do like orange. I guess that’s where the extra $60 in the roadrunner membership fees goes.
After the run, I meet up with a co-worker who happened to be in the area. After that? I collapse…as in fall asleep. I have the whole afternoon to work – so much for an all day recovery! But as far as being ready for the half-marathon next week? I’m sure I won’t be the only one with a scraped knee.
Happy running!
Today was our scheduled 12 mile long run. I have not run 12 miles since the LA Marathon, and only a few times before then, so I was apprehensive this morning when I finally got out of bed. It was a “race day” like feeling – excitement mixed with a little bit of fear, mixed with a little bit of “what the hell am I doing?”. I have a passing notion of not going at all. After the run, I have an afternoon of working my second job – a lot of standing on my feet after hours of pounding on them. But in my running, I am determined, and know I need this mileage before my upcoming half-marathon. When I do finally wake up, it is about half an hour past my intended get-up time. Yikes! My mind races on everything I will need to carry – strap on here, stick in that pocket there. Water, food, sunglasses sunblock, Band-Aids, alcoholic wipes. I grab extra Band-Aids just in case. You never know.
I hope the day is not as warm as the unexpected autumnal heat trend we have been having this week. Of course it is never that hot by the beach but even a little bit of sun can make the difference between slightly pleasant and slightly unbearable. Once there, I join my group – we are about 25 today – and introduce myself to my running partner, Theresa. Soon, we are off. Within a mile of our run, it happens, what we all fear (no, I didn’t get hit by a car) but I did I trip on a rock, fall down hard and scrape my knee. Luckily, my fall did not create an avalanche of other runners becoming beachside road kill. As I get up and prepare to rejoin Theresa, a runner behind me wisely recommends I take some time. I look at my knee. Blood is gently spilling from the small wounds. Hmmm… He’s right. I grab the alcoholic wipes and Band-Aids I brought and start cleaning it up. Unfortunately, the Band-Aids don’t stick since the blood hasn’t ceased. I decide to run the mile back to the senior center and get some additional first aid. Although I would have probably just run in that condition, I didn’t want to scare any of the children with my blood spattered knee. Not a good early morning sight. So I clean up and meet up with the group at the 3 mile mark. If I had to fall today, at least it happened early in the run – Now I have 9 miles to go!
Aside from that adventure, the run was great. Really really great. I had never run to the Marina and the way the sun sparkled off the water was truly pretty. We went a little further before realizing we missed our cut off point, so our total mileage for the day was a little over 12 miles. The last couple of miles was difficult, and it helped that I played musical chairs with my racing buddies – More distractions make for running to go by that much quicker.
Once again, the route was filled with different runners, most notably the various Roadrunner groups who recently started their training. You can’t miss them with their orange shirts. And you can’t miss us with our shirts either. But I gotta say, I do like orange. I guess that’s where the extra $60 in the roadrunner membership fees goes.
After the run, I meet up with a co-worker who happened to be in the area. After that? I collapse…as in fall asleep. I have the whole afternoon to work – so much for an all day recovery! But as far as being ready for the half-marathon next week? I’m sure I won’t be the only one with a scraped knee.
Happy running!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Running blog
Reminder that although I still occasionally post to this site, please check out my running blog which has updates for each day. http://runnersalmanac.blogspot.com
Happy running!
Happy running!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Orange County Outing
It's Labor Day weekend. My plan was to get away on a road trip somwhere up the coast like beautiful Cambria or laid back Monterey. My friend Adam also has planned to get away this weekend to Mammoth with the hopes of cross country skiing. For our separate reasons, our weekend California adventures were not to be, so we decided to enjoy a daylong California trip somewhere nearby. We may not beHuell Howser, but we were both eager for get away for a few hours somewhere new in California. So Adam picked me up around 9:30a and we headed south, to Orange County.
Although a little over an hour away on the freeway, we both agreed that Orange County was foreign enough territory to be considered a mini-vacation. For me, it was the multitude of tanned blondes. For Adam, it was men in untucked Hawaiian shirts. But like Los Angeles, Orange County is a pretty diverse place. We were mainly in Alisa Viejo/Laguna Niguel so maybe the percentange of blonde Hawaiian shirt wearing locals is higher than the OC population as a whole.
Our trip focused on three activities. Hiking, yoga, and "other". The "other" consisted of checking out a popular Orange County natural foods store that Adam raved about called Mother's. If you are ever in the area (they have a ton of OC locations) and you are a health food afficionado, this place is awesome. Try the green goddess juice on the menu. I'd ask for extra spinach if I were you.
We took a class at Core Power Yoga. Now, Core Power yoga is one fancy studio. The bathrooms alone are spa-quality. The not so nice surprise was that all of the yoga classes are held in the heat. I had never done a heated yoga class before, so I was expecting passing out somewhere between the sun salutation and the namaste. Although we both made it through the induced heat exhaustion, I felt that the class was lacking in enough instruction especially for more beginner yoga practitioners. The teacher didn't offer enough variation for those of us who couldn't balance our body weight on our hands. New customers do receive a full week of classes for free. So if you're in the area and can pretty much do your practice on your own, check this place out.
After our yoga class, we headed for more fun in the heat, this time outdoors. We trekked nearly 4 miles in the Aliso Creek trail in the Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park which has approximately 3,900 acres of open land. In addition, it is home to plenty of many plants and animals. For me, the highlight of our walk was the delightful and unexpected sight of a beautiful deer up close and personal. The deer was so still when I locked eyes with it, it looked like a statue. Once I got out my camera phone, here's a a picture I took of the creature walking away from us into the cooler shade of the trees:
Despite the labor day weekend, we were one of very few walkers that afternoon and the trail was more popular among bicyslists. It was a hot summer afternoon but thankfully we were helped along with several cool breezes. Finally, I committed to a long walk after Saturday's long run. Orange county has many areas for hiking in the form of parks, trails,and marshes, all of which can be explored at the excellent website OC Parks.com. Check it out;
Happy walking!
Although a little over an hour away on the freeway, we both agreed that Orange County was foreign enough territory to be considered a mini-vacation. For me, it was the multitude of tanned blondes. For Adam, it was men in untucked Hawaiian shirts. But like Los Angeles, Orange County is a pretty diverse place. We were mainly in Alisa Viejo/Laguna Niguel so maybe the percentange of blonde Hawaiian shirt wearing locals is higher than the OC population as a whole.
Our trip focused on three activities. Hiking, yoga, and "other". The "other" consisted of checking out a popular Orange County natural foods store that Adam raved about called Mother's. If you are ever in the area (they have a ton of OC locations) and you are a health food afficionado, this place is awesome. Try the green goddess juice on the menu. I'd ask for extra spinach if I were you.
We took a class at Core Power Yoga. Now, Core Power yoga is one fancy studio. The bathrooms alone are spa-quality. The not so nice surprise was that all of the yoga classes are held in the heat. I had never done a heated yoga class before, so I was expecting passing out somewhere between the sun salutation and the namaste. Although we both made it through the induced heat exhaustion, I felt that the class was lacking in enough instruction especially for more beginner yoga practitioners. The teacher didn't offer enough variation for those of us who couldn't balance our body weight on our hands. New customers do receive a full week of classes for free. So if you're in the area and can pretty much do your practice on your own, check this place out.
After our yoga class, we headed for more fun in the heat, this time outdoors. We trekked nearly 4 miles in the Aliso Creek trail in the Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park which has approximately 3,900 acres of open land. In addition, it is home to plenty of many plants and animals. For me, the highlight of our walk was the delightful and unexpected sight of a beautiful deer up close and personal. The deer was so still when I locked eyes with it, it looked like a statue. Once I got out my camera phone, here's a a picture I took of the creature walking away from us into the cooler shade of the trees:
Despite the labor day weekend, we were one of very few walkers that afternoon and the trail was more popular among bicyslists. It was a hot summer afternoon but thankfully we were helped along with several cool breezes. Finally, I committed to a long walk after Saturday's long run. Orange county has many areas for hiking in the form of parks, trails,and marshes, all of which can be explored at the excellent website OC Parks.com. Check it out;
Happy walking!
Monday, September 7, 2009
In search of new favorite books series
I finished my last Odelia Grey book yesterday, and now since the Sue Ann Jaffarian-helmed mystery series is not coming out with another installation until 2010, I am in need of another mysteries series to read, inhale, adore, etc... Of course, I have some requirements. Not any mystery series will do. Before the Odelia Grey series, I read the three books in Lisa Lutz's Spellman Files series (also waiting for her next book out in 2010). Before that, it was Sue Grafton, who, granted, has books in her beloved ABC murder mystery series which I still haven't read and can always grab as a last resort. But as for a new series, here are three key points that will grab and sustain my reading attention:
1. The main character in most of my favorite books, and all of my favorite mystery books, are strong women characters. So, the heroine in any series, has to be just that, a heroine. Someone who isn't too girlie, just a smidgen socially awkward, feisty, adorable, and who isn't afraid to speak what's on her mind. Some semblance of a love life is good too.
2. I like some comedy in my mystery. The Lutz series doesn't have any murder, but the comedy and mystery is recipe for addiction. Jaffarian's books are full of murder and the humor compliments it quite nicely.
3. Several months ago, the folks at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood were helpful when I walked in with a desire to read something set in 1800's Great Britain (where did this desire come from? Can't remember) I started a book that was recommended, but it turns out that I am not so into period murder mystery pieces. I prefer modern day - 1980's (a la Grafton) are OK too.
4. Give me a city that I know, and that's a bonus. As much as I like the idea of reading a mystery set in another country (and, yes, Cara Black's Parisian set mysteries are on my radar, and since I consider Paris a city I know pretty well, I should start reading these), I generally prefer a series in the US. I may also be open to something set in Canada. Those Canadians can be pretty funny...and murderous.
Send any suggestions my way. In the meantime, I'll read, as seen on public TV's Wayne Dyer's "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life."
1. The main character in most of my favorite books, and all of my favorite mystery books, are strong women characters. So, the heroine in any series, has to be just that, a heroine. Someone who isn't too girlie, just a smidgen socially awkward, feisty, adorable, and who isn't afraid to speak what's on her mind. Some semblance of a love life is good too.
2. I like some comedy in my mystery. The Lutz series doesn't have any murder, but the comedy and mystery is recipe for addiction. Jaffarian's books are full of murder and the humor compliments it quite nicely.
3. Several months ago, the folks at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood were helpful when I walked in with a desire to read something set in 1800's Great Britain (where did this desire come from? Can't remember) I started a book that was recommended, but it turns out that I am not so into period murder mystery pieces. I prefer modern day - 1980's (a la Grafton) are OK too.
4. Give me a city that I know, and that's a bonus. As much as I like the idea of reading a mystery set in another country (and, yes, Cara Black's Parisian set mysteries are on my radar, and since I consider Paris a city I know pretty well, I should start reading these), I generally prefer a series in the US. I may also be open to something set in Canada. Those Canadians can be pretty funny...and murderous.
Send any suggestions my way. In the meantime, I'll read, as seen on public TV's Wayne Dyer's "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life."
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Running into Cats
Have not been posting here since I started my running blog last week. However, some relevant news for cat lovers. I just saw on the back of a Big Blue Bus that the Cat Show is in town today and tomorrow at the Santa monica Civic Auditorium. Now, I've seen snippets of a cat show on the Animal Channel, and the cats are really judged on being pretty. They don't trounce around like dog shows accompanied by their masters. Now if I go to this thing, will I require binoculars? Will it be worth it? I could always just drop by the animal shelter and give some attention to those cats in the cages - Now those are some animals looking for some much needed attention. Looks from the website though that any cat can enter to be judged - pedigreed or not. Check it out! Here's the website for the Santa Monica Cat Club Cat Fancier's Association Cat show.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
New Running Blog
I've started a new running blog at http://runnersalmanac.blogspot.com If you're a runner at any stage of the game, drop by and leave a comment. Thanks!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
She moves in mysterious ways...Women mystery writers in California
So I finished the latest in the Spellman File books – a mystery/chick lit/none of the above comically-leaning series by Lisa Lutz - about a month ago, and now I am ticking off the next of my latest favorite mystery writer, Sue Ann Jafarian and her Odelia Grey series. My interest in mysteries started with Sue Grafton’s ABC mysteries which I started reading about 8 or 9 years ago (also did a couple of books on tape). Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone became one of my favorite all-time heroines, and only recently did I start reading other woman-helmed stories of the same genre. I first read another mystery besides Grafton after I met writer Joan Blacher at the LA Times Festival of Books and read her book “Murder Canyon” which I blogged about on this site. I found out that she hasn’t written another mystery since, but it’s a good one to spend some quality time with.
I don’t remember how I came to read the first of Lisa Lutz’s book the Spellman Files, but after starting the first book and seeing her speak at a couple different events, I fell head over heels for her no-nonsense brash (and yes, alcoholic) 30-year old heroine Izzy Spellman and her adventures in the streets of San Francisco. Izzy has some definite similarities with Kinsey, and it’s probably here that I find both of these series so attractive. Neither are girly girls – more fond of jeans than any time of skirt or dress – and both have an honest get to the point personality (except when they are obviously lying to get what they want from their sleuthing efforts). Spellman books are more comic and less murder providing interesting adventure based around a family of private investigators - including a mother and father who believe that running a credit report on Izzy’s latest love interest is routine business. The third Spellman book didn’t disappoint mainly in the area of romance brimming between Izzy and detective Henry Stone. The first book is still written the best, I think, but I’m definitely looking forward to book number four, which is supposedly coming out next year.
I met Sue Ann Jafarian at a book signing event at the LA Times Festival of Books this year. She is the author of the Odelia Grey series which is a definite murder mystery series whereas Lutz’s books are more mystery-inspired. Odelia is a middle-aged BBW (Big beautiful woman) from Newport Beach who is a paralegal by day with a hobby of solving murders by night. The beauty of this series is the comedic charm of its main character, the ease with which we can relate to the characters, and the somewhat over-the-top nature of the crimes. I’ve read the last and the first in the series so far, and both books have mysteries with a sexual natural – Not as disturbing as CSI – Special Victims Unit – but still content appropriate for more adult readers. I'm also a big fan of California based books - Grafton's are set in a Santa Barbara like community, the Spellmans live in San Francisco, "Murder Canyon" is in Ventura, and Odelia is based in Orange County. The best part so far is the relationship between Odelia and her wheelchair bound lover Greg – “handicapped” romance has never been so scintillating! I just started reading “Curse of the Holy Pail” and laughed from page one – Which is a nice break in the day from work. Sue Ann Jafarian is speaking at a panel tonight at the Hawthorne Library on comedy mysteries. Check out her blog . I’m looking forward to the book launch for her new series in September at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood
I don’t remember how I came to read the first of Lisa Lutz’s book the Spellman Files, but after starting the first book and seeing her speak at a couple different events, I fell head over heels for her no-nonsense brash (and yes, alcoholic) 30-year old heroine Izzy Spellman and her adventures in the streets of San Francisco. Izzy has some definite similarities with Kinsey, and it’s probably here that I find both of these series so attractive. Neither are girly girls – more fond of jeans than any time of skirt or dress – and both have an honest get to the point personality (except when they are obviously lying to get what they want from their sleuthing efforts). Spellman books are more comic and less murder providing interesting adventure based around a family of private investigators - including a mother and father who believe that running a credit report on Izzy’s latest love interest is routine business. The third Spellman book didn’t disappoint mainly in the area of romance brimming between Izzy and detective Henry Stone. The first book is still written the best, I think, but I’m definitely looking forward to book number four, which is supposedly coming out next year.
I met Sue Ann Jafarian at a book signing event at the LA Times Festival of Books this year. She is the author of the Odelia Grey series which is a definite murder mystery series whereas Lutz’s books are more mystery-inspired. Odelia is a middle-aged BBW (Big beautiful woman) from Newport Beach who is a paralegal by day with a hobby of solving murders by night. The beauty of this series is the comedic charm of its main character, the ease with which we can relate to the characters, and the somewhat over-the-top nature of the crimes. I’ve read the last and the first in the series so far, and both books have mysteries with a sexual natural – Not as disturbing as CSI – Special Victims Unit – but still content appropriate for more adult readers. I'm also a big fan of California based books - Grafton's are set in a Santa Barbara like community, the Spellmans live in San Francisco, "Murder Canyon" is in Ventura, and Odelia is based in Orange County. The best part so far is the relationship between Odelia and her wheelchair bound lover Greg – “handicapped” romance has never been so scintillating! I just started reading “Curse of the Holy Pail” and laughed from page one – Which is a nice break in the day from work. Sue Ann Jafarian is speaking at a panel tonight at the Hawthorne Library on comedy mysteries. Check out her blog . I’m looking forward to the book launch for her new series in September at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood
Thursday, July 30, 2009
LA Marathon - Less show more substance
The LA Marathon has been officially moved back to a Sunday in March for 2010 - March 21st - which may just fall on the spring equinox (aka the first day of Spring - which may also be Norooz depending). I was happy with the memorial day Marathon this year, although many other runners supposedly were not. The date change threw off training schedules and many expected an unbearable run in the heat. On the contrary, the weather was beautifully overcast and it fell smack on on a milestone birthday for me - which made it the perfect inaugural marathon for your truly.
Apart from the date change, LA organizers also changed the course to the (Dodger) Stadium to Sea (Santa Monica) proposal which recently won approval from the Santa Monica City Council. According to the LA Marathon website, the course will now go through iconic parts of LA including Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Personally, I loved this year's course and enjoyed going through downtown and other parts of the city that I wouldn't visit. Beverly Hills and Santa Monica? C'mon - I'm there all the time I don't need to run a marathon through there. The experience of running through the neighborhoods in south Los Angeles was unique and touching - especially the crowds of fans - big and small - who greeted us. They haven't posted the official course online yet, but I'm hoping that it'll go through Silver Lake, Echo Park, and spend more time in parts of LA that may not be the "iconic" spots the Marathon wants to re-affiliate with. Chinatown wouldn't be bad either.
I also liked this year's Marathon course because of the loop of the race - We started in downtown and ended in downtown. The logistics of starting at Dodger Stadium and ending in Santa Monica is something of a nightmare. Are runners expected to park to the start and hitchhike back with sore legs, sore bodies and potential digestive problems that plague long distance runners (believe me, it's not pretty)? When the course went from Universal Studios to downtown in years prior, theorganizers could at least tout the metro system as a convenient way to get around This is SO not the case with Santa Monica. I hope that the organizers keep these kinds of problems in mind when they decide to manage the course in the process of confirming the LA Marathon as a legimitate 26.2 mile race that keeps runners in mind first rather than showy external appearances. The good thing about the loop course was that spectators could travel along the metro system to a degree and watch the runners. I feel like this stadium to see course should have received some sort of community feedback before its confirmation for next year's marathon.
I would also recommend extending this philosophy to the expo event the weekend before race day. This year's LA Marathon expo was underwheling and a sad representation of what a true marathon convention should be - It was a poor showing in comparison to Pasadena's Expo. In Pasadena, the organizers culled from local community running clubs and organization, wheras the LA Marathon expo was all about the sponsors and some internet-based resellers. The impression was that it was very costly to get a booth at LA, whereas Pasadena was very much community-focused.
In truth, I loved the Pasadena Marathon, eventhough I did the 5K and found the parking situation a bit confusing - But the vibe of that event (DESPITE the fact that the rain was merciless) was all about the love and fun of running. I may just decide to run Pasadena this next year, but we'll see.
Apart from the date change, LA organizers also changed the course to the (Dodger) Stadium to Sea (Santa Monica) proposal which recently won approval from the Santa Monica City Council. According to the LA Marathon website, the course will now go through iconic parts of LA including Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Personally, I loved this year's course and enjoyed going through downtown and other parts of the city that I wouldn't visit. Beverly Hills and Santa Monica? C'mon - I'm there all the time I don't need to run a marathon through there. The experience of running through the neighborhoods in south Los Angeles was unique and touching - especially the crowds of fans - big and small - who greeted us. They haven't posted the official course online yet, but I'm hoping that it'll go through Silver Lake, Echo Park, and spend more time in parts of LA that may not be the "iconic" spots the Marathon wants to re-affiliate with. Chinatown wouldn't be bad either.
I also liked this year's Marathon course because of the loop of the race - We started in downtown and ended in downtown. The logistics of starting at Dodger Stadium and ending in Santa Monica is something of a nightmare. Are runners expected to park to the start and hitchhike back with sore legs, sore bodies and potential digestive problems that plague long distance runners (believe me, it's not pretty)? When the course went from Universal Studios to downtown in years prior, theorganizers could at least tout the metro system as a convenient way to get around This is SO not the case with Santa Monica. I hope that the organizers keep these kinds of problems in mind when they decide to manage the course in the process of confirming the LA Marathon as a legimitate 26.2 mile race that keeps runners in mind first rather than showy external appearances. The good thing about the loop course was that spectators could travel along the metro system to a degree and watch the runners. I feel like this stadium to see course should have received some sort of community feedback before its confirmation for next year's marathon.
I would also recommend extending this philosophy to the expo event the weekend before race day. This year's LA Marathon expo was underwheling and a sad representation of what a true marathon convention should be - It was a poor showing in comparison to Pasadena's Expo. In Pasadena, the organizers culled from local community running clubs and organization, wheras the LA Marathon expo was all about the sponsors and some internet-based resellers. The impression was that it was very costly to get a booth at LA, whereas Pasadena was very much community-focused.
In truth, I loved the Pasadena Marathon, eventhough I did the 5K and found the parking situation a bit confusing - But the vibe of that event (DESPITE the fact that the rain was merciless) was all about the love and fun of running. I may just decide to run Pasadena this next year, but we'll see.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Cat socializing for the day
It was my first day as a volunteer at Pet Orphans. This is a an independent "orphanage" for cats and dogs in beauutiful Van Nuys! I spent the day with the cats in the two room cat house that was fully airconditioned (otherwise, it would have been a hair-raising coughing congested experience in the valley heat). It seems that more volunteers spend time with the dogs so I'm happy I got the two rooms largely to myself for about an hour. There were all kinds of cats - black, calico, long haired, short haired - But what really distinguished each of them was their eyes. Two of them had the saddest eyes - as if they had misplaced something but they didn't know what it was - It broke my heart. For a few moments, I just sat and observed the territorial behavior of the cats - particularly amongst diva-esque Tilly - a super friendly cat to people, who doesn't get along with any of her fellow felines. When I checked her name info card outside the door, I noticed that she had actually been returned from a home - possibly because she didn't get along with the owner's other cats. One cat was sooo incredibly thin she was all skin and bones - A beautiful little calico who I believe was called Priscilla.
Please visit the petorphans website and see if any of these beauties speaks to your heart. There are also little kitties in the "Not Feline Well Center" who are getting strong enough for adoption. Of course, there are also dogs of all sizes - and their photos are all on the website as well:
www.petorphans.org
Don't be fooled by the picture below - Although Tilly looks victimized by the black cat, she was actually on her way to get another cat who was up behind the TV (can't see in this photo). It was like gang warfare for a few moments in the cat house!
Please visit the petorphans website and see if any of these beauties speaks to your heart. There are also little kitties in the "Not Feline Well Center" who are getting strong enough for adoption. Of course, there are also dogs of all sizes - and their photos are all on the website as well:
www.petorphans.org
Don't be fooled by the picture below - Although Tilly looks victimized by the black cat, she was actually on her way to get another cat who was up behind the TV (can't see in this photo). It was like gang warfare for a few moments in the cat house!
Friday, July 24, 2009
An online UC system could really rake in the dough...
The Dean (Edley) of Boalt Hall - The UC Berkeley Law School - had an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education about adding an 11th UC campus - one that is virtual. Think about it - No parking, no commute, no inconvenient class schedules for working students and a great idea (in my opinion) for today's tech-savvy university system. There are so many tools that can make a virtual class great including the blackboard module and all of the nifty student-friendly accessories - including discussion forums, the ability to post documents online, and even uploading video. I had an online component to GIS class once and it worked very well. Mr. Edley says that teacher's will be pooled from the UC system and the admissions process will still be "selective"; although I would think not as competitive as UCLA or Berkeley given that most out of high school college students would probably prefer a live in-person college experience. This option would probably work best for the working student, either out of high school or returning after some sort of absence.
Here's the link the article:
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/A-California-Dream-Saving/7249
Just one question: What will this UC be called? UC Silicon Valley? UC Virtual? Mr. Edley wants it called UC XI. Let's just call it UC Matrix and get it over with. Any suggestions?
Here's the link the article:
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/A-California-Dream-Saving/7249
Just one question: What will this UC be called? UC Silicon Valley? UC Virtual? Mr. Edley wants it called UC XI. Let's just call it UC Matrix and get it over with. Any suggestions?
Monday, June 22, 2009
No wonder this is just a comic
If this were true, I'd be wildly popular because of my ability to be magnetically indifferent.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Los Angeles Time Festival of Books
I had been looking forward to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for a while. For the first time ever, I even bought panel tickets (Highly recommended to compliment your festival going experience, by the way). The tickets became available at noon on the Sunday prior to the weekend event, and I went online about two hours in. The Michael J. Fox panel tickets were already sold out, but I got everything else I searched for - Young Adult fiction, mystery women writers, and even a panel with Pat Morrison and James Ellroy (more on the incomparable Reverend Ellroy later).
I attended both days - although I preferred Saturday when the air was a little crisper, the atmosphere more expectant and the excitement more palpable. I spent about 5 hours walking around campus, visiting booths, talking to writers, spennding money and getting signatures. I met Sue Ann Jafarian whose work I had read about online and have started her newest book "The Booby Trap" which features big and beautiful heroine Odelia Grey. I walked by the Target tent and listened to a few minutes of Tori Spelling out promoting her new book "Mommywood" (I saw her mother Candy at another part of the fair at a booth signing copies of her own book - but no one was in line for her when I walked by).
The Sunday atmosphere was different - Like the day after a night of heavy drinking or perhaps even a rave (although a literary rave)- The weather was a little warmer, the atmosphere a little less fresh and the crowd more chaotic. But I came back for two reasons: The first being to meet Sandra Tsing Loh at the Vroman's Bookstore booth and have her sign my newly purchased copies of "A Year in Van Nuys" and "Mother on Fire". Loh is an NPR commentator, writer and humorist. She was friendly and charming and her writing is hilarious. The second reason was to attend the Ellroy/Morrison event. For anyone who attended that particular panel, I think you can agree that it probably wasn't what you expected unless you are familiar with the author's peculiar personality. In that case, you probably got exactly what you bargained for.
Pat Morrison is great - She was dressed in a hot sky blue number with matching hat. As a fan of hers on KPCC, I looked forward to her interview. But the event turned out to be more of a pulpit for Ellroy (author of "LA Confidential" and other LA-based noir bestsellers) - Pat only gave an introduction (but a very good introduction) and let the author out like a wild untamed animal. He preached to us about how great he is as a writer - aggrandized his publisher as God to his own Jesus (publisher being Alfred Knopf) and promoted his book. It was all done like a performance piece filled with cursing and shouting. it was entertaining but I came away from that panel with an affirmation of what I had always known - Writers are a weird bunch.
Now, for anyone who has not attended the Los Angeles Time Festival of Books, well what have you been waiting for?! There is no way you can fathom the largeness of the event without attending. Despite the fact that I was there a total of 8 hours both days, there were so many booths that I never even walked by - areas of the festival map my path never even crossed, and waves upon waves of genres that I didn't even get a chance to investigate. There is an amusement park quality here, except the rides are talks by authors, book signings and the interaction with some of the weirdest people on the planet. Joy!
I attended both days - although I preferred Saturday when the air was a little crisper, the atmosphere more expectant and the excitement more palpable. I spent about 5 hours walking around campus, visiting booths, talking to writers, spennding money and getting signatures. I met Sue Ann Jafarian whose work I had read about online and have started her newest book "The Booby Trap" which features big and beautiful heroine Odelia Grey. I walked by the Target tent and listened to a few minutes of Tori Spelling out promoting her new book "Mommywood" (I saw her mother Candy at another part of the fair at a booth signing copies of her own book - but no one was in line for her when I walked by).
The Sunday atmosphere was different - Like the day after a night of heavy drinking or perhaps even a rave (although a literary rave)- The weather was a little warmer, the atmosphere a little less fresh and the crowd more chaotic. But I came back for two reasons: The first being to meet Sandra Tsing Loh at the Vroman's Bookstore booth and have her sign my newly purchased copies of "A Year in Van Nuys" and "Mother on Fire". Loh is an NPR commentator, writer and humorist. She was friendly and charming and her writing is hilarious. The second reason was to attend the Ellroy/Morrison event. For anyone who attended that particular panel, I think you can agree that it probably wasn't what you expected unless you are familiar with the author's peculiar personality. In that case, you probably got exactly what you bargained for.
Pat Morrison is great - She was dressed in a hot sky blue number with matching hat. As a fan of hers on KPCC, I looked forward to her interview. But the event turned out to be more of a pulpit for Ellroy (author of "LA Confidential" and other LA-based noir bestsellers) - Pat only gave an introduction (but a very good introduction) and let the author out like a wild untamed animal. He preached to us about how great he is as a writer - aggrandized his publisher as God to his own Jesus (publisher being Alfred Knopf) and promoted his book. It was all done like a performance piece filled with cursing and shouting. it was entertaining but I came away from that panel with an affirmation of what I had always known - Writers are a weird bunch.
Now, for anyone who has not attended the Los Angeles Time Festival of Books, well what have you been waiting for?! There is no way you can fathom the largeness of the event without attending. Despite the fact that I was there a total of 8 hours both days, there were so many booths that I never even walked by - areas of the festival map my path never even crossed, and waves upon waves of genres that I didn't even get a chance to investigate. There is an amusement park quality here, except the rides are talks by authors, book signings and the interaction with some of the weirdest people on the planet. Joy!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Running on the Sun – Victory for Victims 8K
I expected the day to be hot but my expectations were exceeded when I stepped outside at 7:30am on Sunday morning to an uncharacteristically sunny morning. If it was warm at 7:30am, how will it be a whole hour from now?
The sunny day piqued my concern since I was about to run an 8k race(about 5 miles exactly) in Encino for the annual Victory for Victims run. It's a charity race whose proceeds benefit the Child Assault Treatment Services of the Northridge Hospital. Since I live in Santa Monica and usually run early in the morning or at dusk, I am not really trained for running in the heat. But since I am planning on doing the LA Marathon in late May, I’ll need to get accustomed to it – Sooner or later.
Lake Balboa is a beautiful place to run. The lake itself reminds me of the Bois de Boulogne Forrest in Paris which has an immense lake nestled within its trees. In France, the lake is used for all sorts of recreation. I’ve seen runners looping around its circumference, lovers renting paddle boats and rowing downstream, and a group of dog therapists taking their pooches out for a walk. Lake Balboa is smaller, but it is also a favorite with local residents. There are paddle boats for rent here too. And unlike the dogs I had seen on regular visits in the Bois, the Encino lake is home to a large flock of geese.
Although the run started near the lake, it was mostly kept through running pathways away from the regular park crowd. One particularly long hot stretch was smack in the middle of a small field of dry brush. Around mile 3-4 was in a pretty arid area and the only thing that kept me going was the dream of an oasis – Some sort of water station up ahead. I would recommend organizers to add a water station here if it is as hot again next year.
My time was a little over what was expected but at a pace of about 10:26, I finished in around 51:43 minutes. I had to include a few brief walk breaks - It must have been 80 degrees.
Country music DJ Shaun Parr and the appearance of KTLA’s Commander Chuck Street (and his helicopter!) added to a great atmosphere. Next time – more country music!
Check out my photos - from fotojack.com
This is me at the home stretch.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Kara Goucher wins third place in Boston Marathon
Congratulations are in order for Kara Goucher who placed third for women in the Boston Marathon. I wish she had won, but the impressive finish for USA (along with the near win for Ryan Hall on the men's side) is better than not placing at all. Check her out in this month's Runner's World. 
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pasadena Redux (As in Attempt # deux)
So I’ve been meaning to write about my experience at Pasadena Marathon Redux, the inaugural but second attempt at a marathon in the beautiful city of Pasadena, CA. The first attempt in November was cancelled due to poor air quality resulting from the fall fire storms. I had only planned on joining as a spectator back then but when the run was rescheduled to March 15, I decided to join in myself for the 5K.
Based on the two weeks leading up to the 15th, race day should have been beautiful – Clear, sunny, not too warm. And even when the forecast predicted rain the day before, I’m sure everyone involved hoped it would just be a drizzle and nothing more. But the day started out dark, gloomy and rainy, and the rain stopped only briefly (during my race thankfully). The marathoners and half-marathoners had to run in thundering spouts of rain which eventually cleared up as the day progressed. They were prepared in rain gear and the can-do attitude runners have.
There were sponsors and exhibitors and even a stage featuring musical performances - But I didn't stick around much longer after I saw the winner of the half-marathon. In fact, I was standing next to him after his win as we huddled with a bunch of others under one of the canopied-shelters as a momentary reprieve from being soaked.
This first attempt at a Pasadena race has had a lot of obstacles. This includes lack of organization in the wee hours of the early morning where a throng of driving runners (myself included) had no idea where to park and were given no guidance by the traffic coordinators.
The last race I had done was the Frontrunner's Pride 5K in June, so it had been a while since I participated in any kind of competitive run. So despite the problems (which also included a house catching on fire nearby!), it was just nice to be out. I find runners to be very positive people - on race day at least - and I definitely got some good energy from them. Even though I didn't make my goal time, I proudly hang my medal from my car rear view mirror. Hopefully, I'll have one from the LA Marathon hanging next to it soon.
I did the Bruin 5K a couple of weeks ago and have the Victory for Victims 8K in Lake Balboa this Sunday. Maybe one day a marathon in the Valley? Hmmm....if Pasadena can do it, I'm sure the San Fernando Valley can too!
Based on the two weeks leading up to the 15th, race day should have been beautiful – Clear, sunny, not too warm. And even when the forecast predicted rain the day before, I’m sure everyone involved hoped it would just be a drizzle and nothing more. But the day started out dark, gloomy and rainy, and the rain stopped only briefly (during my race thankfully). The marathoners and half-marathoners had to run in thundering spouts of rain which eventually cleared up as the day progressed. They were prepared in rain gear and the can-do attitude runners have.
There were sponsors and exhibitors and even a stage featuring musical performances - But I didn't stick around much longer after I saw the winner of the half-marathon. In fact, I was standing next to him after his win as we huddled with a bunch of others under one of the canopied-shelters as a momentary reprieve from being soaked.
This first attempt at a Pasadena race has had a lot of obstacles. This includes lack of organization in the wee hours of the early morning where a throng of driving runners (myself included) had no idea where to park and were given no guidance by the traffic coordinators.
The last race I had done was the Frontrunner's Pride 5K in June, so it had been a while since I participated in any kind of competitive run. So despite the problems (which also included a house catching on fire nearby!), it was just nice to be out. I find runners to be very positive people - on race day at least - and I definitely got some good energy from them. Even though I didn't make my goal time, I proudly hang my medal from my car rear view mirror. Hopefully, I'll have one from the LA Marathon hanging next to it soon.
I did the Bruin 5K a couple of weeks ago and have the Victory for Victims 8K in Lake Balboa this Sunday. Maybe one day a marathon in the Valley? Hmmm....if Pasadena can do it, I'm sure the San Fernando Valley can too!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Broad Education
by Nazbanoo Pahlavi (HNZ'03)
In April's Carnegie Mellon Today
Camp counselor isn't an uncommon teenager job. But Camp Iroquois director Dave Sherman doesn't allow just anyone to join his staff. Leadership is important. So is the ability to connect with disadvantaged children. He also wants someone he thinks will be inspired by the experience.
In his search, he considers the students at the Elmira, N.Y., high school where he is a gym teacher. He approaches Sarah Coon, a sophomore, who is active in sports and school clubs. She agrees to become a summer counselor at the upstate New York camp.
Youngsters—identified as high-risk by the New York State Sheriff's Association—are bused in each week. Coon learns many of the campers haven't had ideal childhoods. Don't they deserve a chance, too, she wonders? "I just knew instantly that this was the group of people I wanted to work with," she says.
It has been 10 years since she felt the need to list camp counselor on her résumé, but it established her career path, which she began in 2001 as a Teach For America teacher. In addition to classroom work, she's accumulated education policy and management experience, and in 2006 she earned her MPM in education policy from Heinz College.
Last year, she was chosen for a two-year Broad Residency in Urban Education, which places residents into top-level management of urban school systems. Only 31 residents nationally were selected, which represents less than 5% of the applicants. All have advanced degrees. Coon's residency is at Achievement First, a charter school management organization with 15 schools in Connecticut and New York. She is director of evaluation and organization development.
In April's Carnegie Mellon Today
Camp counselor isn't an uncommon teenager job. But Camp Iroquois director Dave Sherman doesn't allow just anyone to join his staff. Leadership is important. So is the ability to connect with disadvantaged children. He also wants someone he thinks will be inspired by the experience.
In his search, he considers the students at the Elmira, N.Y., high school where he is a gym teacher. He approaches Sarah Coon, a sophomore, who is active in sports and school clubs. She agrees to become a summer counselor at the upstate New York camp.
Youngsters—identified as high-risk by the New York State Sheriff's Association—are bused in each week. Coon learns many of the campers haven't had ideal childhoods. Don't they deserve a chance, too, she wonders? "I just knew instantly that this was the group of people I wanted to work with," she says.
It has been 10 years since she felt the need to list camp counselor on her résumé, but it established her career path, which she began in 2001 as a Teach For America teacher. In addition to classroom work, she's accumulated education policy and management experience, and in 2006 she earned her MPM in education policy from Heinz College.
Last year, she was chosen for a two-year Broad Residency in Urban Education, which places residents into top-level management of urban school systems. Only 31 residents nationally were selected, which represents less than 5% of the applicants. All have advanced degrees. Coon's residency is at Achievement First, a charter school management organization with 15 schools in Connecticut and New York. She is director of evaluation and organization development.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
My latest Netflix review
I have recently enjoyed the easy dvd rental outfit called Netflix. Prior to my membership, I had know acquaintances who were big fans, and after receiving a two-week free trial, I decided to be a member myself. It was better than watching the same re-run of "Seinfeld" on my cable-less television.
I've been watching some good 80s movies recently. I saw "Kiss of the Spider Woman" which was mainly a character study between William Hurt's old movie obsessed Molina in search for his leading man, and Raul Julia, as the tortured political prisoner who finds happiness in the unlikeliest person. I just now finished watching "St. Elmo's Fire", which for 80s cult classics is probably mandatory viewing. A Pittsburgher also wrote the screenplay, so it seemed I had to see it and judge for myself.
The theme song is beautiful and, unfortunately, the rest of the movie nowhere near gets as good as those musical interludes (although I did enjoy Rob Loewe's sax playing scenes). The relationships between the characters were forced and contrived - their inside jokes didn't even come off as something natural between good friends (it didn't even make sense). The characters were lacking in meat and many were not well developped at all - Poor Emilio Estevez was a wierdo stalker obsessed with Andie MacDowel - Who doesn't seem to mind the little creep following her and banging on her door late at night.
The sentimental 80s cheese was a bit much and taken outside of its context; this movie would be laughed at today, and not for the right reason. The characters are all self-obsessed, except maybe Mare Winningham who goes to the other extreme as the Mother Theresa of the bunch. For a much better rendition of self-obsessed 80s film, I'd see Whit Stillman's "Metropolitan".
Next up, I get Mike Leigh's "Happy Go Lucky", just out on dvd!
I've been watching some good 80s movies recently. I saw "Kiss of the Spider Woman" which was mainly a character study between William Hurt's old movie obsessed Molina in search for his leading man, and Raul Julia, as the tortured political prisoner who finds happiness in the unlikeliest person. I just now finished watching "St. Elmo's Fire", which for 80s cult classics is probably mandatory viewing. A Pittsburgher also wrote the screenplay, so it seemed I had to see it and judge for myself.
The theme song is beautiful and, unfortunately, the rest of the movie nowhere near gets as good as those musical interludes (although I did enjoy Rob Loewe's sax playing scenes). The relationships between the characters were forced and contrived - their inside jokes didn't even come off as something natural between good friends (it didn't even make sense). The characters were lacking in meat and many were not well developped at all - Poor Emilio Estevez was a wierdo stalker obsessed with Andie MacDowel - Who doesn't seem to mind the little creep following her and banging on her door late at night.
The sentimental 80s cheese was a bit much and taken outside of its context; this movie would be laughed at today, and not for the right reason. The characters are all self-obsessed, except maybe Mare Winningham who goes to the other extreme as the Mother Theresa of the bunch. For a much better rendition of self-obsessed 80s film, I'd see Whit Stillman's "Metropolitan".
Next up, I get Mike Leigh's "Happy Go Lucky", just out on dvd!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Obama says Happy Norooz
Here is the link to Obama's remarks on Norooz to Iranian-Americans, and to the "Islamic Republic of Iran". The highlights of the message are his quote from celebrated Iranian poet Saadi, and saying "Eid E Shomah Mobarak", which means "Happy New Year". He also commented on the achievements of Iranian-Americans. Unlike Bush, Obama pronounces Iran the correct way - With a long "a" rather than a short "a".
It's a nice message, although it shows that the President likes any chance to wax a little poetic.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/Nowruz/
It's a nice message, although it shows that the President likes any chance to wax a little poetic.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/Nowruz/
Monday, January 12, 2009
Food For Thought
by Nazbanoo Pahlavi
in January's Carnegie Mellon Today
It can't be avoided. It's on every network, on every cable news station, in every newspaper. The map. Red states versus blue states. Conservatives against liberals. George W. Bush may have won the presidency, defeating his opponent, John Kerry, but to Fritz Haeg it felt like everyone lost—and not because of which candidate won. His malaise went well beyond politics. He would articulate it three years later in the preface to a project that unknowingly to him began to germinate on November 2, 2004.
"We watched as the media informed us that the United States had just split into red and blue. I was devastated by the results of the election, but I was also alarmed by the popular story that our country was cleft in two, with supposedly irreconcilable opposing points of view. For us or against us; it seemed like the lines had been drawn and you were meant to take a side."
It's often said by artists—writers, musicians, painters, actors—that to gain perspective of your country, you have to leave it. Not long after the 2004 presidential election, Haeg left the United States for a six-week residency in Australia.
"I wanted to use this break as an opportunity to consider the direction of my work."
Haeg's work wasn't easy to define. He was schooled as an architect, earning his degree from Carnegie Mellon in 1992. But during his collegiate days, it became evident that he wouldn't end up in an office of some skyscraper. In his final year, having fulfilled his requirements, he mostly enrolled in art classes.
The course selection didn't mean he abandoned his future as an architect. The profession had been his life's ambition since he was a youngster going to middle school in Minneapolis where, for fun, he studied copies of Architectural Record at the local public library. His dad noticed his son's interest and took him to meet an architect working downtown. Haeg remembers it distinctly, "the endless grid of fluorescent lights and little desks and drafting tables." And he remembers thinking, even then, that wasn't exactly what he wanted.
In search for what he was looking for after graduating from Carnegie Mellon, he worked and taught for a number of years in Connecticut, New York, California. Along the way, he became difficult to label professionally—architect, environmental designer, artist, teacher. Not long after settling in Los Angeles in 1999, he initiated Sundown Salons, which were a series of community gatherings for knitting, reading, dancing, drawing, performing, and conversing. At the University of Southern California, he taught "Workshop in Architecture" for non-majors and an interdisciplinary course, "Manifesto," at the Art Center College of Design, where the class "read the writings and manifestos of 20th-century artists and designers" culminating in the class having to "orally present our own manifesto on the final day of class."
Haeg was a man who had more depth than simply being classified as someone blue or red. Yet, as he left for Australia, the country was defining itself by only those colors. He recalled his misgivings, politically and culturally, before embarking on his trip of introspection:
"In spite of my migrations, I realized how limited my experience of my own country was. I was also beginning to feel uneasy with the insular, self-referential, and hermetic nature of the contemporary art and architecture community, of which I consider myself a part. Are we elitist, separatist, or just disinterested? Today's media climate allows you to filter your news and stories to only those with which you agree. Have we given up on any sort of real dialogue and returned to our corners to talk among ourselves? What is the appropriate response to the current state of the world, its politics, climate, and economics? What should I do next?"
During his stay in Australia, Haeg explored Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, the Queensland's Daintree Rainforest, and the nearby Great Barrier Reef. It's there his country began to come into focus; what it was, what it could be—the political divisiveness of Americans back home and the interdependence of the indigenous organisms in Australia that thrived on collaboration. The germination of what would become his project had taken another step—to transplant onto the American landscape, in a unique and socially conscious way, that spirit of nature's collaboration.
"I realized how completely interdependent each organism is upon the others. Remove one and the whole system can eventually degrade and collapse. This seemed to be a good lesson at a time when our obsession with independence is perhaps naïve and oversimplified. Sharing resources—water, air, streets, neighborhoods, cities, countries, and a planet—all of our destinies are more intertwined than ever."
He had his creative direction—wanting his next project to symbolically engage all Americans in a space we collectively occupy. The question for him was in what medium. When he returned to Los Angeles in 2005, he was unsure what his project would entail, but he knew where he wanted it to start—in the center of the country, the heartland, the symbolic starting point for an American project.
From there, a serendipitous sequence follows. Haeg, known for his hybrid projects in diverse media, is invited to speak at an event at Grand Arts in Kansas City. He meets curator Stacy Switzer, to whom he mentions his intended geographic starting point. Some months later, Switzer is asked to curate an exhibit on food and eating at the Salina Arts Center in Salina, Kan., about three hours west of Kansas City. Switzer immediately thinks of Haeg, whom she contacts to submit a proposal. Haeg doesn't know anyone in Salina, but being very near the geographic center of the country, the location is just right, and he jumps at the chance to participate. He flies out for a site visit to see where Salina will guide him creatively.
Once there, Switzer and Haeg take a drive through the countryside. Although Salina is a cultural hub for the towns nearby, this city of 50,000 residents is very much agricultural, with classic vistas of prairie plain and farmland—a unifying landscape connecting disparate homeowners—a precursor to the manicured lawns that have taken over the American landscape from New York to California in the post-World War II era. In fact, it is on the front yard in suburban Minneapolis where Haeg remembers spending hours mowing the lawn in the '80s—a stretch of green space, which like a farm takes great amounts of labor, but without an accompanying harvest.
"I think the front yard is a space that we take for granted in this country, and it extends from coast to coast, and we all collectively share it across all geographic, political, religious, and economic boundaries in this country. It's one of those rare geographies that really connects us," he says.
While it was on the front yard where Haeg worked the earth for the aesthetics of perfectly tended grass, it was in the vegetable garden his mother planted in the backyard where his family reaped benefits in the tasty forms of beans and squash used in summertime meals.
After that drive in Salina, Haeg knows the specific medium for his next project. He will comingle the interdependence of nature he witnessed in Australia with his mother's garden and the untapped potential of the American front lawn. The plan is for him to revive the Victory Gardens that Americans were encouraged to plant in their homes more than half a century ago to reduce the pressure on the public food supply and boost the country's morale by giving them a sense of empowerment and self-determination.
Haeg will design, prepare, and plant an edible garden on the front lawn of willing local residents Stan and Priti Cox. On July 4, 2005 (the day of independence), with the support of the Salina Arts Center, is the unveiling of the Coxes' front yard Victory Garden, which Haeg christens Edible Estates.
"An Edible Estate can serve to stitch communities back together, taking a space that was previously isolating and turning it into a welcoming forum that reengages people with one another."
The Coxes' front yard garden will include many herbs and vegetables that come in handy for Priti Cox's Indian dishes. Eventually thriving are okra, green chilies, Swiss chard, a curry leaf tree, eggplant, and tomatoes. Stan Cox reports that reaction from neighbors and sightseers has only been positive. He recounts one of his neighbors being interviewed by the media. "She told ABC cameras, 'Well, when they started tearing up their yard, I thought, what the heck's going on over there? But once they got it done, I liked it.'"
Clarence Ridgley's home is nearly 1,500 miles from the Coxes', located in a Baltimore neighborhood. When Ridgley decides to expand his small backyard garden in 2008, he comes across Haeg's Web site while surfing the Internet for some how-to gardening tips on planting blueberry bushes. He learns that the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore is sponsoring an Edible Estate. Ridgley applies, and Haeg flies to Baltimore to meet with him and eight other applicants in person because it's important to Haeg to select homeowners who have some gardening skills and will be articulate spokespeople for their garden. Ridgley is the one Haeg chooses.
Ridgley, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, knows his neighbors but mainly through hand waves and head nods. Once his front yard becomes an Edible Estate, though, he finds his neighbors regularly dropping by to visit. One neighbor down the street even uses Ridgley's garden for her own crops.
And when local middle-schoolers come by as a part of a field trip, some of the students are surprised to learn that tomatoes grow on vines. "They must think tomatoes grow in a supermarket," Ridgley laughs. Now the neighborhood kids like to pick and eat fruit from his garden; his strawberries are the most popular, and because he doesn't use any pesticides, no washing is necessary. Ridgley and his neighbors hope to work together so that they diversify what plants they grow on their respective properties in an effort at collective gardening across many front yards.
In the past three years, other Edible Estates have bloomed across the country—Maplewood, N.J.; Austin, Texas; and Lakewood, Calif. There is also one in London, England. With each Edible Estate, Haeg works closely with the homeowners to create a garden endemic to their needs and wants, both in the architectural design and in the selection and diversity of the edibles. Local neighbors, arts students, and friends help with the planting.
In the process, he says, people get to know each other—Republicans, Democrats, Independents—it doesn't matter. They are bonded by a common interest of how to best use a previously manicured residential resource. And, by the way, they're eating more healthfully and reducing their grocery bills. The evolution of his project is detailed in the book Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn (Metropolis Books, 2008).
Like its creator, Edible Estates defies labels—it's part social activism, part gardening, part art. It caught the attention of the curators at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art, who invited Haeg to be one of the artists of last year's Biennial, calling him "one of the 81 most interesting contemporary American artists currently working today."
For the Biennial, Haeg created an offshoot of Edible Estates—Animal Estates. He built homes for animals that are having difficulty sharing Manhattan with their nearly 2 million human neighbors. For the displaced native species, he created a 10-foot-diameter bald-eagle nest, a barn owl nest box on a telephone pole, a wood duck nest box over a beaver pond, a big brown bat house, an opossum rock pile, and a bobcat hollow tree trunk. After the exhibit, many of the animal estates were donated to a Manhattan public park where the animals have rent-free digs.
Meanwhile, the seeds of Edible Estates have taken hold. The author/architect/gardener/artist plans to continue impacting the country—in a way that Fox News and MSNBC can never match—by helping to create more Edible Estates in the United States, not in the red and blue states.
Nazbanoo Pahlavi (HNZ'03) is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.
in January's Carnegie Mellon Today
It can't be avoided. It's on every network, on every cable news station, in every newspaper. The map. Red states versus blue states. Conservatives against liberals. George W. Bush may have won the presidency, defeating his opponent, John Kerry, but to Fritz Haeg it felt like everyone lost—and not because of which candidate won. His malaise went well beyond politics. He would articulate it three years later in the preface to a project that unknowingly to him began to germinate on November 2, 2004.
"We watched as the media informed us that the United States had just split into red and blue. I was devastated by the results of the election, but I was also alarmed by the popular story that our country was cleft in two, with supposedly irreconcilable opposing points of view. For us or against us; it seemed like the lines had been drawn and you were meant to take a side."
It's often said by artists—writers, musicians, painters, actors—that to gain perspective of your country, you have to leave it. Not long after the 2004 presidential election, Haeg left the United States for a six-week residency in Australia.
"I wanted to use this break as an opportunity to consider the direction of my work."
Haeg's work wasn't easy to define. He was schooled as an architect, earning his degree from Carnegie Mellon in 1992. But during his collegiate days, it became evident that he wouldn't end up in an office of some skyscraper. In his final year, having fulfilled his requirements, he mostly enrolled in art classes.
The course selection didn't mean he abandoned his future as an architect. The profession had been his life's ambition since he was a youngster going to middle school in Minneapolis where, for fun, he studied copies of Architectural Record at the local public library. His dad noticed his son's interest and took him to meet an architect working downtown. Haeg remembers it distinctly, "the endless grid of fluorescent lights and little desks and drafting tables." And he remembers thinking, even then, that wasn't exactly what he wanted.
In search for what he was looking for after graduating from Carnegie Mellon, he worked and taught for a number of years in Connecticut, New York, California. Along the way, he became difficult to label professionally—architect, environmental designer, artist, teacher. Not long after settling in Los Angeles in 1999, he initiated Sundown Salons, which were a series of community gatherings for knitting, reading, dancing, drawing, performing, and conversing. At the University of Southern California, he taught "Workshop in Architecture" for non-majors and an interdisciplinary course, "Manifesto," at the Art Center College of Design, where the class "read the writings and manifestos of 20th-century artists and designers" culminating in the class having to "orally present our own manifesto on the final day of class."
Haeg was a man who had more depth than simply being classified as someone blue or red. Yet, as he left for Australia, the country was defining itself by only those colors. He recalled his misgivings, politically and culturally, before embarking on his trip of introspection:
"In spite of my migrations, I realized how limited my experience of my own country was. I was also beginning to feel uneasy with the insular, self-referential, and hermetic nature of the contemporary art and architecture community, of which I consider myself a part. Are we elitist, separatist, or just disinterested? Today's media climate allows you to filter your news and stories to only those with which you agree. Have we given up on any sort of real dialogue and returned to our corners to talk among ourselves? What is the appropriate response to the current state of the world, its politics, climate, and economics? What should I do next?"
During his stay in Australia, Haeg explored Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, the Queensland's Daintree Rainforest, and the nearby Great Barrier Reef. It's there his country began to come into focus; what it was, what it could be—the political divisiveness of Americans back home and the interdependence of the indigenous organisms in Australia that thrived on collaboration. The germination of what would become his project had taken another step—to transplant onto the American landscape, in a unique and socially conscious way, that spirit of nature's collaboration.
"I realized how completely interdependent each organism is upon the others. Remove one and the whole system can eventually degrade and collapse. This seemed to be a good lesson at a time when our obsession with independence is perhaps naïve and oversimplified. Sharing resources—water, air, streets, neighborhoods, cities, countries, and a planet—all of our destinies are more intertwined than ever."
He had his creative direction—wanting his next project to symbolically engage all Americans in a space we collectively occupy. The question for him was in what medium. When he returned to Los Angeles in 2005, he was unsure what his project would entail, but he knew where he wanted it to start—in the center of the country, the heartland, the symbolic starting point for an American project.
From there, a serendipitous sequence follows. Haeg, known for his hybrid projects in diverse media, is invited to speak at an event at Grand Arts in Kansas City. He meets curator Stacy Switzer, to whom he mentions his intended geographic starting point. Some months later, Switzer is asked to curate an exhibit on food and eating at the Salina Arts Center in Salina, Kan., about three hours west of Kansas City. Switzer immediately thinks of Haeg, whom she contacts to submit a proposal. Haeg doesn't know anyone in Salina, but being very near the geographic center of the country, the location is just right, and he jumps at the chance to participate. He flies out for a site visit to see where Salina will guide him creatively.
Once there, Switzer and Haeg take a drive through the countryside. Although Salina is a cultural hub for the towns nearby, this city of 50,000 residents is very much agricultural, with classic vistas of prairie plain and farmland—a unifying landscape connecting disparate homeowners—a precursor to the manicured lawns that have taken over the American landscape from New York to California in the post-World War II era. In fact, it is on the front yard in suburban Minneapolis where Haeg remembers spending hours mowing the lawn in the '80s—a stretch of green space, which like a farm takes great amounts of labor, but without an accompanying harvest.
"I think the front yard is a space that we take for granted in this country, and it extends from coast to coast, and we all collectively share it across all geographic, political, religious, and economic boundaries in this country. It's one of those rare geographies that really connects us," he says.
While it was on the front yard where Haeg worked the earth for the aesthetics of perfectly tended grass, it was in the vegetable garden his mother planted in the backyard where his family reaped benefits in the tasty forms of beans and squash used in summertime meals.
After that drive in Salina, Haeg knows the specific medium for his next project. He will comingle the interdependence of nature he witnessed in Australia with his mother's garden and the untapped potential of the American front lawn. The plan is for him to revive the Victory Gardens that Americans were encouraged to plant in their homes more than half a century ago to reduce the pressure on the public food supply and boost the country's morale by giving them a sense of empowerment and self-determination.
Haeg will design, prepare, and plant an edible garden on the front lawn of willing local residents Stan and Priti Cox. On July 4, 2005 (the day of independence), with the support of the Salina Arts Center, is the unveiling of the Coxes' front yard Victory Garden, which Haeg christens Edible Estates.
"An Edible Estate can serve to stitch communities back together, taking a space that was previously isolating and turning it into a welcoming forum that reengages people with one another."
The Coxes' front yard garden will include many herbs and vegetables that come in handy for Priti Cox's Indian dishes. Eventually thriving are okra, green chilies, Swiss chard, a curry leaf tree, eggplant, and tomatoes. Stan Cox reports that reaction from neighbors and sightseers has only been positive. He recounts one of his neighbors being interviewed by the media. "She told ABC cameras, 'Well, when they started tearing up their yard, I thought, what the heck's going on over there? But once they got it done, I liked it.'"
Clarence Ridgley's home is nearly 1,500 miles from the Coxes', located in a Baltimore neighborhood. When Ridgley decides to expand his small backyard garden in 2008, he comes across Haeg's Web site while surfing the Internet for some how-to gardening tips on planting blueberry bushes. He learns that the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore is sponsoring an Edible Estate. Ridgley applies, and Haeg flies to Baltimore to meet with him and eight other applicants in person because it's important to Haeg to select homeowners who have some gardening skills and will be articulate spokespeople for their garden. Ridgley is the one Haeg chooses.
Ridgley, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, knows his neighbors but mainly through hand waves and head nods. Once his front yard becomes an Edible Estate, though, he finds his neighbors regularly dropping by to visit. One neighbor down the street even uses Ridgley's garden for her own crops.
And when local middle-schoolers come by as a part of a field trip, some of the students are surprised to learn that tomatoes grow on vines. "They must think tomatoes grow in a supermarket," Ridgley laughs. Now the neighborhood kids like to pick and eat fruit from his garden; his strawberries are the most popular, and because he doesn't use any pesticides, no washing is necessary. Ridgley and his neighbors hope to work together so that they diversify what plants they grow on their respective properties in an effort at collective gardening across many front yards.
In the past three years, other Edible Estates have bloomed across the country—Maplewood, N.J.; Austin, Texas; and Lakewood, Calif. There is also one in London, England. With each Edible Estate, Haeg works closely with the homeowners to create a garden endemic to their needs and wants, both in the architectural design and in the selection and diversity of the edibles. Local neighbors, arts students, and friends help with the planting.
In the process, he says, people get to know each other—Republicans, Democrats, Independents—it doesn't matter. They are bonded by a common interest of how to best use a previously manicured residential resource. And, by the way, they're eating more healthfully and reducing their grocery bills. The evolution of his project is detailed in the book Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn (Metropolis Books, 2008).
Like its creator, Edible Estates defies labels—it's part social activism, part gardening, part art. It caught the attention of the curators at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art, who invited Haeg to be one of the artists of last year's Biennial, calling him "one of the 81 most interesting contemporary American artists currently working today."
For the Biennial, Haeg created an offshoot of Edible Estates—Animal Estates. He built homes for animals that are having difficulty sharing Manhattan with their nearly 2 million human neighbors. For the displaced native species, he created a 10-foot-diameter bald-eagle nest, a barn owl nest box on a telephone pole, a wood duck nest box over a beaver pond, a big brown bat house, an opossum rock pile, and a bobcat hollow tree trunk. After the exhibit, many of the animal estates were donated to a Manhattan public park where the animals have rent-free digs.
Meanwhile, the seeds of Edible Estates have taken hold. The author/architect/gardener/artist plans to continue impacting the country—in a way that Fox News and MSNBC can never match—by helping to create more Edible Estates in the United States, not in the red and blue states.
Nazbanoo Pahlavi (HNZ'03) is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.
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