Living Small

Pounding the Pavement

After another bitterly cold week, the temperature shot up to forty-four degrees this morning and much of the ice on the sidewalk melted. The sudden warmth, combined with the fact that I was turned away from my usual Saturday morning spinning class, inspired me to go for my first outdoor run this year. Actually, it was my first run this year, full-stop. The reason I haven't blogged about running lately is simply that I haven't been running lately. Nonetheless, I laced up my shoes and set off on my old three-mile loop around campus. Despite hitting nearly evry red light along the way, I did make it, but those were some of the slowest and most difficult miles I have ever run. I could attribute it to the fact that I still have a bit of a cough, or to the fact that I have gained about fifteen pounds in the last six months, but I think it was really just lack of practice and the simple fact that three hours of spinning a week doesn't keep me as fit as seven hours of running used to. I was shocked that a route I used to be able to cover in twenty-seven minutes today took me thirty-six. I can't believe I used to run thirty-five miles a week. But even though it was hard, it still felt good to be out in the world with the wind on my face. Now if only it would stay this warm!

Clothes For My New Doll

iPhone Cozy
Originally uploaded by Emily Klancher Merchant.

Those of you who have been reading this may remember that when I got my first cell phone back in January of 2007, the first thing I did was knit a cozy for it. Well, I'm doing the same thing for my new iPhone, though it's taking much longer this time around, as I just don't seem to have as much time to knit as I used to. Tonight, however, David and I are going to a talk hosted by the Pakistani Student Association, so I should be able to work on it some there :) It's fun dressing up my new toy, though, kind of like the grown-up version of making doll clothes.

Welcome Home, David

Eat Less and Exercise More

This year, the University of Michigan is offering a special program for faculty and staff -- a free health screening, followed by free coaching in areas where we need improvement.  I think there are two purposes for this program: 1. to obtain reliable health statistics on the UM's employee population, and 2. to lower health insurance costs.  In order to encourage participation, they are paying us $100 after completion of the screening.  So I went the other day for my free screening, which consisted of three parts.  First, I filled out an online questionnaire.  Second, I was weighed and measured and had my blood and blood pressure taken.  Third, a trained "coach" went over the results with me.  I scored a 96 out of 100 on the lifestyle portion, and my measurements were all fine.  In particular, my BMI was 20.5, which is in the "normal" range (18.5-25.0), but my doctor still wants me to gain 3-4 lb, which will bring me up to a BMI of about 21.3.  However, the "coach" told me that I could "do better" by eating less and exercising more!  Given that he seemed absolutely clueless and sounded like he was just reading off a sheet of paper, I didn't totally fly off the handle, but I did inform him, in no uncertain terms, that I'm not interested in losing weight.

Weekend in DC

Readers who haven't been keeping up with me on Facebook may be wondering about the meaning of my last post.  That photograph is David, of course, and was taken at Tryst Coffeehouse in DC over a late breakfast early on Saturday afternoon.

A few months ago, David learned that he would have to travel to DC for work from a Friday morning to Tuesday evening, and invited me to meet him there for the weekend.  Not having been to DC since I was ten years old, I jumped at the opportunity, especially knowing that there would be a new President in office by then.  So David flew out Friday morning and I met him there after work.  He took me to dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill, his dad's favorite DC hangout.  After dinner in the restaurant part, we proceeded to the bar for dessert, and as we sat there watching and listening to the people around us, it slowly dawned on us that we were surrounded by Republicans.  And drunk ones, at that.

On my flight into town, I had run into a grad student from David's department, who gave me some excellent suggestions for things to do while we were there.  It was on her recommendation that we ventured up to Adams-Morgan for breakfast at Tryst the next morning. Adams-Morgan feld much more our speed than the Old Ebbitt Grill, and since we liked the neighborhood so much, we ended up going back for dinner at the Ghana Cafe.  We don't have much West African food around here, and I just couldn't resist.  I ordered one of my favorite meals from my time in Ghana -- banku with okra stew and goat -- but they were out of the banku, so I ended up having kenkey instead and it was still fantastic, though David said he likes my okra stew better.  In between these two fabulous meals, we walked down to the Mall and across its entire length, then up to Union Station, stopping for a drink and a snack at  The Monocle.  At the bar, we ended up talking to the owner, his wife, and some friends of theirs, one of whom is a currently out-of-work RNC fundraiser. Before we learned this about her, she asked how long we would be in town.  We told her that David would be staying until Tuesday, but that I had to fly back Sunday to be at work at UM on Monday morning.  She misheard me say that I was going to work for Obama on Monday, and when I replied "I wish," she hung her head in disgust.  It was then that we knew we had stumbled into yet another Republican bar!