Archives for July 2019

Monthly recap | July

July 31, 2019 filed under: my so-called life, recap

READ

I finished two books, you guys! I am so stoked. Little by little, the bird builds its nest, am I right? One was a novel, the other a more scientific book. Recap to follow.

COOKED

I made my own pesto for the first time, and OMG, why haven’t I made it before? It’s so easy and so much tastier than the store-bought kind. I am trying to get my basil plant to grow again, so I can make more.

WATCHED

You must be wondering why I keep this category, because I rarely watch anything besides Friends reruns and 90-days fiancé these days. I did take a peek at the Democratic Debate again yesterday (and probably will today), just to stay informed. Are you watching?

LISTENED TO

I listened to a couple of episodes of the “Pod Save America” podcast. What else is new?

BOUGHT

We didn’t really buy anything but a ton of food this month (we totally blew our eating out budget, ahem. What can I say? We like to eat and we ate out with company a few times, so it added up). I also paid for my travel to San Francisco last weekend, obviously, but not much other frivolous spending for the month of July.

RAN

I ran 65 miles / 105 km this month. The number is not too shabby. It’s an average number for me and I always want to run more, but I also like my current workout schedule. I sacrificed some monthly mileage when I decided to go to cycling class on Tuesdays instead.

GOING-ONS

+ This month felt jam-packed and went by in the blink of an eye. I can’t believe we’re right smack in the middle of summer.

+ We had a little bit of a scare when my Mom was hospitalized two weeks ago with a stress-related heart condition and I am not going to lie, I was pretty worried there for a moment. My Mom is back home now and feels fine, but I really hope we can implement some changes to reduce her stress level going forward. She herself says that she didn’t really feel that stressed, but let’s be honest, she has a lot on her plate and she needs to realize that she doesn’t have to say “yes” to everything (sound familiar to anyone?) and that she really has to take care of herself first before taking care of others.

+ I had two races on my calendar this month. The Davis M00-nlight Run 5k (with J!) and the SF (Half)Marathon last weekend. They were both fun in their own way. Recap of the half marathon to come soon.

+ We hosted J’s friend for a week and it was nice to have some company. Would have also been nice if we still had that extra bedroom (dang it), but at least we made good use of our outdoor space.

+ We tried a new plant-based burger place in town that was recommended to us by some friends. I was positively surprised how good it was. And the herb fries were excellent.

+ I am embarrassed to say that we’ve lived in Sacramento for so long and we’d never been to the river beaches. We finally changed that. I know, there’s really no excuse or explanation, because I complain about the fact that I wished we lived closer to the beach all the time. I mean, the river is not the ocean, but it’s close enough, for sure. Must go back.

+ It’s been 8 months since we moved from our house to the new neighborhood and while I like my new running routes, I also kinda missed my old stomping grounds. J had suggested numerous times for me to drive over to our old neighborhood, park the car at the park and go for my run there, but I felt ‘weird’ about it (hard to explain). This month, I finally got “over it” and decided for two of my long runs to take me back to our old neighborhood and to the zoo to see my giraffe friends, and of course, I had the best time. It’s about a 10-12 mile run round-trip, so I can only use my long runs for a visit, but it’s better than getting in the car and driving over there. (I know I won’t do it – it’s much easier to lace up my shoes and just run out the door.)

How was your July?

Tuesday Topics: What are your favorite summer drinks to stay hydrated?

July 30, 2019 filed under: linkup, lists!, Tuesday Topics

{via Unsplash}

Well, summer is definitely here in the Central Valley of California and it is hot. It’s imperative to stay hydrated every day of the year, of course, but it’s especially important in the summer and even more important if you’re active in the summer heat (like we runners tend to be).

I usually prefer hot drinks over cold drinks, so I usually do much better with hydration during the winter months (because I can drink pots and pots of hot tea), but I also try to stay on top of my drinking game in the summer, of course.

So today, I am linking up again with Kookyrunner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics and share some of my favorite summer drinks to stay hydrated.

Water

I don’t think that needs much explaining. I (try to) drink tons of water during the summer months and it’s definitely my main source of hydration. While I like the idea of adding lemon, cucumber, mint, or something like that to the water to make it a little more interesting, more often than not, I just reach for a glass of plain ice-cold water.

Apple Juice or Lemonade Spritzer

In Germany, mineral water mixed with any type of fruit juice is a very popular summer drink. So popular and common that you can buy any type of juice spritzer in bottles. The most common one is Apple Spritzer and it’s so refreshing. I don’t know what it is about the carbonation, but it really quenches my thirst.

Tuesday Topics: What are your favorite summer drinks to help you stay hydrated? #Runchat #SummerRunning #TuesdayTopics Click To Tweet

Grapefruit Juice and Coke (60/40)

Ok, bear with me here, this might not sound like something you have heard of, or even would consider trying, but I beg you: do yourself a favor and try it. It’s a super-duper-thirst-quencher. I won’t have more than one glass of this (because of the sugar content, obvs), but it’s so good.

Funny anecdote: in my hometown in Germany, we call this drink “Erftwasser” (Erft is the local river and it’s pretty muddy most of the time and the color of the drink matches the color of the river water to the point). You can basically walk into any restaurant and ask for “Erftwasser” and they’ll know what you want.

Iced Tea

I mentioned earlier in this post that I drink a lot of (hot) tea during the winter months, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that iced tea makes it on my list of favorite summer drinks. It’s a pretty good source of hydration, because I drink it unsweetened and don’t feel guilty downing a couple of glasses of it (just try to be careful with the added caffeine when it’s not an herbal iced tea).

What’s your favorite summer drink?

Monthly Favorites | July

July 29, 2019 filed under: monthly favorites

At the end of each month, I share things that have made me happy, new discoveries, or recommendations that I find worthwhile. Enjoy.

1. As previously mentioned in another blog post, I recently invested in a pair of Lululemon Speed Up Shorts* (partly paid for by a gift card, mind you) and I am so, so happy with them. They’re so light, moisture-wicking and all-around comfortable.

2. I love a lot of vegetables, but I think if I had to pick one vegetable as my favorite, it would be tomatoes. They’re so versatile and so flavorful and I could just eat them all summer long (and every other season for that matter, but they’re most delicious in the summer).

3. I go through phases with which mug I prefer for my coffee, and right now I am using our giraffe mug (that I originally bought for J at World Market a few years ago, but he doesn’t mind sharing it with me). Might or might not be related to my recent visit with my giraffe friends when I ran by the zoo.

4. It’s summer and it’s hot and it’s time for Outshine Fruit Bars* (Lemon). So refreshing!

5. Have you ever looked for an image online and wished there was no annoying background (like the images I need to put this post together)? Or have you spent oodles of time removing backgrounds from images? Then you should check out Remove.bg* because it’ll make your life a whole lot easier.

6. We bought these String lights* for our backyard. They’re solar-powered and look so pretty and they have really transformed our outdoor space into a space where I want to hang out.

7. I had wanted an armchair for our living room for a long time (because tbh, I slouch when I knit on the couch and it makes my neck hurt). I had been eyeing the Storsele Rattan Armchair* for a while and when it recently went on sale (are they discontinuing it?), I had to seize the moment. I love the design, it’s very comfortable (with a cushion of course) and it gets extra points for making me sit up straight.

What was one of your favorite things this month?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

Currently | July

July 26, 2019 filed under: currently

WORRIED | about my Mom who was admitted to the hospital last week. It sucks to wake up to a slew of text messages in our family WhatsApp group and not being able to exactly grasp what’s going on (and nobody has called you yet because they know you’re still sleeping). Ugh. Well, turns out, she had a stress-related heart condition, but fortunately, things are better now. She’s back home (as of last night) and what it comes down to is that she has to try hard to reduce stress in her life (which is easier said than done, as you can imagine).

THINKING ABOUT | how much it sucks to live so far away from home and how sh*t can hit the fan at any moment. I try not to focus on that, obviously, but sometimes you’re reminded that life is fragile and you never know what could happen next.

(always) FEELING | better when we take some walks at the park.

TRYING TO | stay positive. Always. ‘Positive’ is basically my middle-name.

EATING | German pancakes. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen them a few times recently. They’re so ridiculously easy and quick to make a great post-run breakfast, and I pretty much always have the (three!) needed ingredients on hand.

DRINKING | lemonade + sparkling water.

READING | my Runner’s World magazine and just finished my one book for July (I am setting my bar low these days).

WEARING | my Saltwater sandals.

VISITING | my giraffe friends again. I planned for two of my long runs this month to go back to our old neighborhood and by the zoo on purpose, so I could see them because I missed them.

LOOKING FORWARD TO | my weekend in San Francisco. I am running the SF half marathon again this year and I am planning to have fun! It’s going to be a solo-weekend again for me, but I don’t mind spending some time in the city by myself.

What’s going on with you currently?

Awkward & Awesome

July 25, 2019 filed under: awkward & awesome

I used to regularly post this kind of post, but it’s been (almost three) years since I last used this format I thought it would be fun to revive it. See the archives here.

AWKWARD

+ Have you bought stuff off of Facebook Marketplace? Or NextDoor? What is it with people? Why do they not have the decency to respond or tell you that an item has sold after you’ve been sending messages back and forth and you’ve been trying to schedule a viewing? I do not get it. Common courtesy, anyone?

+ When people come to cycling class and leave midway through the class. Why? Why do you do that? There were people who couldn’t get a spot and you didn’t even stay for the whole class.

Okay, I understand that maybe there is a time where you have to be somewhere and maybe you gotta leave a few minutes early this one time, but 60% of people in my cycling class last week left before the end of the class. Some left after 30 minutes. I mean, come on. It’s rude and it’s disrespectful, not just to the people who didn’t get a spot in class, but also to the instructor!

+ I’ve been getting the “Parents” magazine in the mail for the last two weeks. I am so confused why, because I do not have kids and I definitely didn’t order it, so I have no earthly clue why I would be getting this magazine, but it has my name and address on it. What’s happening??!

AWESOME

+ Even though I had an unpleasant experience dealing with people on FB Marketplace last weekend, we also did score a new-to-us coffee table for a reasonable price. I win.

+ I just found out that the book “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein, which was one of the top 5 books I read in 2017, was made into a movie. I am usually a bit sceptical to watch the movie, if I loved a book a lot, but for some reason, I am intrigued to watch this one when it comes out on August, 9th! Have you read the book, and do you want to see the movie?

+ ICYMI, J walked the Davis M00-nlight Run 5k with me two weeks ago and I’m so proud of him.

+ Scored a $5 for 10$ Starbucks eGift Card via Groupon. I always take advantage of those offers. I don’t go to Starbucks very often, but this way I also make sure I never pay “full” price when I go.

+ When co-workers, friends, and gym buddies bring you the bounty of their vegetable gardens and you don’t have to buy produce from the store. So far, we have been given zucchini, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. We’ve also been able to eat everything up and that feels awesome. (Zucchini Scones anyone?)

Tell me something awkward or awesome!

July Link Love

July 22, 2019 filed under: link love

Around the Interwebs

The Attention Diet. Check your own behavior, do you do these things?

There is always a new trick to learn, isn’t there? Gmail pro tip.

How to use social media, according to a mental health expert.

Working with your hands does wonders for your brain. I knew that!

Smartphones are the new cigarettes.

How To Master Cold Emailing & Always Get Responses — Without Annoying Anyone.

The definitive rules of the road for urban cyclists. Good advice.

Cool comparisons. Check these out.

How to prevent those annoying texting typos.

These ladies bought a house together for retirement and it’s everything.

Keep these financial records in your ‘go bag’.

Around the blogosphere

These five words changed my relationship. I am going to try this asap!

Is Renter’s Insurance worth it? If you rent, do you have it?

Craftiness/DIY

Brioche Infinity Pillow (free pattern).

Friendship bracelets. I remember those!

For my runner friends

Here’s how to get stronger after 50. (Not quite there yet, but it’s never too early to learn some tricks!)

Endurance Sports Nutrition: No you can’t eat what you want.

Deliciousness

I need to print this! A magic grid of salad dressings.

How to choose safer seafood. Helpful!

Healthy No-Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bars. Someone recommended these on Instagram and I am eager to try them (probably with Almond Butter).

Since I am using up all the zucchini my co-worker keeps bringing in, I want to try this whole wheat chocolate zucchini bundt cake next.

Share a good link with me in the comments!

Recap | 2019 Davis M00-nlight 5k Run

July 18, 2019 filed under: fitness, recap, running

Last weekend, I participated for the fourth time in the Davis Moo-nlight Run. It’s becoming one of my favorite races and this year was extra special because J kept his word from last year and signed up to do the 5k.

He’s not in shape to run any races, but he’s been trying to be more active and so we agreed to power-walk the 5k course. The fact alone that he signed up for a race with me and followed through is a huge victory! I am so proud of him.

As the name suggests, this is an evening race. The race goes through a residential neighborhood in East Davis but the start and finish lines are in an industrial part of town, which means there is plenty of easy (and free) parking. The start time for the 5k was 8:15 p.m., so we had plenty of time to get there, pick up our shirts and race bibs and then get some dinner before lining up at the start line.

We hung back a little bit to let all the faster runners go first, but I was happy to see there were quite a few walkers signed up. We were off right on the dot at 8:15 p.m.

J was super-motivated, he could feel the energy of the crowd (told you!) and picked up the pace. To be honest, I was a little worried that he was going out too fast and wouldn’t be able to hold the pace for the whole distance. He had been walking more lately, but we hadn’t really trained or timed his walks, so we really didn’t have anything to go by.

We figured, he could definitely finish in <60 minutes, but we didn’t know how fast exactly.

He got in the zone and marched on and I was super-impressed by his determination. It was still quite warm when we started, but luckily, the sun had started to go down and there was a light breeze.

We hit mile 1 at around 17:45, so we knew he was keeping a good pace and, if he could hold it, easily crush his 59:59 time goal. He asked me to give him another update at the mile 2 marker.

Strangely, there was no mile 2 marker, but my Garmin had been pretty accurate, so when my Garmin hit two miles, I told him that he walked the 2nd mile at a 17:12 min/mile pace. Dang!

I don’t know his last split, because I ran the last ¼ mile, so I could take pictures and a video when J made it to the finish line and therefore didn’t record his last time at the mile 3 marker, but he must have pulled off negative splits (his third mile being somewhere around 16:40 min/mile), because he officially finished in 53:12!!!

I’d say that is well below the 59:59 minute goal he set for himself! Hell yeah!

Time here is not accurate.
I turned off my Garmin a couple of minutes late, but here’s my obligatory medal shot.

He was euphoric and the first thing he said to me when he crossed the finish line was “this was so much fun, when can we do this again?”

Well, let me tell you, there is not much that could have made my runner’s heart any happier!

I thought the t-shirts and medals were cool this year! J was really excited about the swag, too! I mean, every runner/walker deserves a medal!

I am so, so proud of him for following through, for finishing strong, and for making himself believe that he can do this!

Tuesday Topics: What’s a great new running product that you’ve tried this year?

July 16, 2019 filed under: fitness, linkup, running, Tuesday Topics

I am linking up again with Kookyrunner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics again today and we’re talking about new running product that we’ve tried this year.

I had to think about this for a minute, because as much as all runners love to try new products (am I right?), I couldn’t think of anything new that I tried recently. Because while I love to try new things, I also love to stick with what works. Contradiction? Yeah, maybe.

Then I did think of a couple of new runner’s items that I could share with you.

1. I won a Lululemon Gift card in an Instagram giveaway a few months ago and finally used it get myself a shiny new pair of running shorts. I don’t know if I would have coughed up $60+ for a pair of tiny shorts on my own, but having the gift card definitely sweetened the deal and I have heard so much good stuff about the Lululemon Speed Up Shorts*. I haven’t actually run in them yet, but I will break them in this weekend, but they felt very comfortable when I tried them on. (Do you also do all kinds of moves and squads in the fitting room when you get new workout gear? Just me?)

2. I also tried the Vega Essentials Chocolate Shake* post-run for the first time and surprisingly, really liked it. I am usually not a fan of powdered shakes, but this one was good. It might have been the chocolate flavor. Do you have a favorite shake?

3. My Garmin Forerunner 235 watch band was getting kind of old, the strap retaining loop was broken already and since a replacement band from Garmin is kinda expensive, I looked for other options. I replaced it with this Fintie Nylon Watch Band* and it turns out that it’s really comfortable and, moreover, doesn’t rub my skin when I sweat (which sometimes was a bit of a problem with the original rubber watch band). If you’re looking to replace your watch band, I recommend this one! (Just an FYI, if you have tiny wrists like me, I had to punch an extra hole in the watch band because even on the last hole it was fitting too loosely for my taste.)

What new running products have you tried this year?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

Recap | My nephew’s first communion

July 15, 2019 filed under: family, home, recap

Just a heads up, this post will be photo-heavy.

Just like I did two years ago for my niece’s communion, I planned my visit back home this year, so that I could attend my nephew’s first communion. It’s one of these once-in-a-lifetime events for which I had to try and be there. I miss out on too many events as it is.

We had an amazing day that started at 9 a.m. and went late into the night. Germans know how to party, is all I am saying. If there is something big to celebrate, we make it an all-day event.

First thing in the morning, we headed over to the local church for the church service. When Greta had her first communion two years ago, multiple congregations had to share one pastor and the service was held in one of the bigger churches in the city. It was crowded and we couldn’t really see or follow what was going on at the altar.

Luckily for Tom’s communion, the service was held at a much smaller, neighborhood-church which meant that less first communion goers and less people overall were in attendance, which in turn made for a much more pleasant ceremony.

After the service, our family (and friends) gathered in front of the church for some pictures and then we headed over to my sister’s place for a reception.

My aunt, my uncle, and cousin.

My aunt and cousin.

My cousin and his girlfriend.

My aunt and uncle.

My Mom and I.

My cousin, my sister, and my cousin’s girlfriend.

Lunch was catered from our favorite Italian restaurant in town, Alla Scala.

… but my sister made the beef bouillon herself. Including bone marrow dumplings and custard royale (I had to google that and hope it’s the right translation). She used my great-aunt’s recipe and so it felt like she was there somehow.

Lunch seamlessly morphed into afternoon “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake). The cakes were homemade by different people and one was more delicious than the next. I almost tried them all.

We were super-lucky with the weather, as it had been raining a lot during my visit, but the day of the communion was dry and the sun came out a few times! All the kids were able to play in the backyard for most of the day and as you can see from the pictures, we had to squint quite a bit.

Father and son.

Just as for Greta’s communion, the dinner buffet was prepared mostly by my parents: a variety of pickled antipasti, salads, pickled salmon, turkey and pork, bread and herb butter. Delicious!

My sister’s beautiful family.

#proudaunt

My parents and my nephew.

Tom and his two godfathers.

Germans know how to party and we preferably use any occasion to make a whole day out of it. The celebration went late into the night.

Haha. Not sure what’s going on here.

Sisters. ♥

It was a wonderful day and I am so grateful that I was able to be there and spend precious time with most of my extended family.

A M7.1 quake in California

July 8, 2019 filed under: because science, California

On Friday night, at 8:26 pm local time, California experienced its biggest earthquake in 20 years. M7.1 on the Richter Scale. The epicenter was in Ridgecrest in the Mojave Desert.

I was sitting on my couch on Friday night watching TV when I heard some creaking noises. Sometimes, the wood of our door makes noises when the AC is on and, as I imagine, the cold air inside and the hot air outside cause the wood to expand. Usually it’s just like one or two creaking noises.

However, the creaking went on for a few seconds and while I took notice, I didn’t think much of it.

Not until, my MIL and my friend Tanja almost simultaneously text messaged me about a big earthquake down in SoCal and until I checked the Internet to confirm that other people here in Sacramento had “felt” or “heard” something around the time the quake happened (like swaying lamps or sloshing of their pool water). It’s kind of bizarre to think that we can feel anything 300 miles north of the epicenter, but seismic waves travel. Sometimes, far.

Did you know that you can report if you felt an earthquake?

The USGS puts out an interesting map about the far-reaching effects of every single earthquake. Of course, I encouraged everyone to fill out the form! I did, too, although I only had little to report.

Tanja’s response was that I am the only person she knows that gets excited about earthquakes (and I guess, it’s true).

Earthquakes have strangely fascinated me since my first geography class in 5th grade and I went on to study geography in college. By a streak of luck, and I say that with a lingering pang of regret that I didn’t get to go to New England for my exchange semester, I landed right in the heart of “earthquake country” California.

Not surprisingly, I ended up writing my Master thesis about the San Andreas Fault System. While I didn’t end up working in seismology, I am still super-interested in the field and have had opportunities to work on earthquake-related projects.

People always ask me what it’s like to live with the fear of an earthquake happening where I live. First I would like to say that earthquakes don’t happen that often. Oh wait, let me rephrase that. They do happen on a daily basis, and on average there are more than 10 earthquakes every day, but they usually are too small for people to even feel them and are only detected by seismographs. I have only experienced a handful of earthquakes in my life, two of which – and you will find that funny – happened in Germany, and they were not particularly scary. The short rattling of some furniture, nothing more.

Sacramento is not necessarily a hotspot for earthquake activity, but we have had – and felt the effects of – earthquakes as close as the M6.0 Napa, CA (2014) and M5.7 Hawthorne, NV (2016) earthquakes. So, even though earthquakes can be felt where I live, the big fault systems of California are further away toward the coast and I am in the lucky position of being a “close observer”, but at the same time taking comfort in the safety of my geographical distance to more likely epicenters.

Do people think about the fact that an earthquake could happen? I don’t. Definitely not on a daily basis. I am aware of the possibility, but my first gnawing thought in the morning is not if it could happen today [it’s more like wondering when I get my first cup of coffee].

However, it’s rumbling underneath California all the time. People should know that. Californians should know that. California is kinda overdue for a big earthquake. The most recent significant one, before the one on Friday, was the M6.7 Northridge, CA earthquake in 1994. And while most earthquakes are not strong enough to be felt or, if felt, usually are not much cause for concern, Californians should be prepared for a big earthquake AT ALL TIMES.

Here’s a handy 7 step-list on how to prepare, survive, and recover:

Step 1: Secure your space.
Step 2: Plan to be safe.
Step 3: Organize disaster supplies.
Step 4: Minimize financial hardship.
Step 5: Drop, cover, and hold on.
Step 6: Improve safety.
Step 7: Reconnect and recover.

I highly encourage you, even if you don’t live in earthquake country, to read through this list and create a preparedness plan. Not all of it will apply if you don’t experience an earthquake, but many of these suggestions are good advice for any sort of emergency situation you might find yourself in.

Have you experienced an earthquake? Do you have an emergency kit at home?