This weekend, after Dan told me that I couldn't take a swim class in my current swimwear, I took the subway to Paragon Sports to buy a new swim outfit. The guy working the swim cap and goggle area was extremely knowledgable, helping me pick out what I needed quickly and painlessly. The girl at the bathing suit area, now that's another story. Athletic swimwear has strange number sizes, and I didn't know what they meant, so I asked if she could assist me.
"Yes, let me help you," she said, "because I wouldn't want you to go into the dressing room with a suit that's too small." Based on my dress size, she pulled a few suits for me in size 32. I went to the dressing room and pulled one suit from the rack. I could barely get the thing up my leg. Maybe this one had a weird cut. I tried another one. I somehow managed to squeeze my butt into the thing, but the look was a bit sausage and the feel was a whole lot uncomfortable. The rest of the suits, no better. As if bathing suit shopping wasn't stressful enough! I peeked through the curtain for further assistance, but the girl was long gone, and there was no one around. I had to change back into my clothes and start over. I got a bunch of bigger suits and tried again.
When I left the dressing room the second time around, another sales woman asked, "How does it fit?"
"Good, I am getting this one," I said, lifting up the size 38--three sizes bigger than what the original girl recommended.
"You know they run small."
"Yeah, thanks."
Luckily, my shopping experience had no indication of the fate of my first swim class. I was certainly nervous for the first day. I was facing a big fear. I don't like going underwater. I always think my contacts are going to pop out. I can't hold my breath very long. I was worried of freakouts and panics and tears. I was afraid that I just couldn't do it. But then I reminded myself, THIS IS KIDS STUFF, Yvonne.
I was so happy that I signed up to take the semi-private class with Danielle because she put me at ease. We met at the Y, got dressed in our suits, goggles and caps and looked like twin alien bugs. We got there early so we sat by the pool and watched everyone swim. One lane was taken up by an impressive kids swim team that were fast, furious and fearless. Then I looked over in another lane where I saw an old man swim so slowly, he looked like a piece of driftwood. I identified with him more. Danielle and I talked but I was very nervous and couldn't follow much of the conversation until she turned to me and said, "I think my head is shrinking." That made me laugh. I am guessing people don't usually sit around in swimming caps. They're pretty freakin tight.
Our instructor Geo came and introduced himself, and he also put me at ease with his sense of humor. He couldn't figure out who was Danielle and who was Yvonne. We did a few drills like going underwater and making bubbles, paddling our legs, pushing ourselves off the wall and gliding on top of the water, and then finally, moving our arms and legs and trying to swim. My problem was that I would move my arms and move my legs, but not at the same time. When I came up for air, I forgot to breathe and kept holding my breath. Geo said I needed to relax and was thinking too much. After the half hour class, I was wiped.
Sure, it might sound like I was a total disaster on day one, but it was a total success story for me. I actually felt more calm than I expected I would. The water felt good. The goggles prevented the contacts from popping out. I could hold my breath okay (maybe too much!) It was scary but it wasn't too scary. It's possible that one day I will be able to do it. What a huge relief. Looking forward to next week!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Breakfast of Champions
When it comes to breakfast, I haven’t an adventurous palate. Sure I sometimes enjoy pancakes and eggs on the week-ends, but on most of the days of the week, for as long as I can remember, I eat a bowl of cereal with milk. Bland and bran and some fruit, that's what I crave when I wake up in the morning. On days I really want to go all out, I will treat myself to plain oatmeal topped with sliced apple and cinnamon.
My perspective on breakfast was forever changed when I went to Europe, and I discovered the excitement and wonder of plain yogurt. Who knew such plainness could equal such goodness? Mixing plain yogurt with muesli and corn flakes, that combination of tangy and crunch, blew my breakfast mind. I still continue to dabble in that meal about once a week, but it's not the same: American yogurts just don’t make the grade.
Since then my breakfasts have continued on with their ho-hum existence...until now. Just yesterday, I have made a new discovery that just might revolutionize my breakfast, my world, my entire life. I am pleased to announce a new addition to my breakfast repertoire...drum roll please...homemade granola!
Granola: Ready for its close-up.
I made my first batch a few weeks ago for my sister-in-law during Cookie Bonanza. She is a pretty healthy, non-cookie eater person, so I searched for a low-fat recipe with no added sugar except pure maple syrup. I gifted half and saved the rest for me, and the mix of baked oats, almonds, dried cranberries and crystallized ginger suited my palate nicely. With tons of leftover nuts, coconut and dried fruit from the holidays, I decided to have another go. This time, I would try a more fun (i.e. more sugary) version from Bon Appétit that had a combination of oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, honey, coconut flakes, pecans and a mix of dried fruit--I had cranberries and mango on hand.
While it baked, this granola made my apartment smell warm and heavenly that when I finally took it out of the oven, I could barely help myself from snacking on the too-hot-to-touch, caramel-colored flakes. After it cooled down, I had another taste and it was so good that I was disappointed that it was evening and not breakfast time. I reluctantly ate leftover lasagna for dinner, and spent the rest of the evening sneaking handfuls of granola, thinking about granola and dreaming about how great my granola breakfast would be the next morning.
Some very long hours later, after sleep and a workout, it was finally granola time! For this momentous occasion, I thought I should take a picture or two. It was exciting to have some natural morning light to work with, but my pictures weren’t as sharp as I liked so I whipped out my new tripod to get some extra clear shots. Problem is that I am still new to maneuvering the thing, so it took some time to set it up just right. Even though I still wanted to work on getting the perfect granola shot, I wanted to eat the granola more. So my food photography career was put on hold for another day. The granola was as good as I hoped it would be. I paired it with--what else--plain yogurt and fruit.
Now I can’t wait until tomorrow morning.
My first tripod photo shoot. I was too hungry to wipe down the spoon.
P.S. Happy Birthday to my brother Peter!!!
My perspective on breakfast was forever changed when I went to Europe, and I discovered the excitement and wonder of plain yogurt. Who knew such plainness could equal such goodness? Mixing plain yogurt with muesli and corn flakes, that combination of tangy and crunch, blew my breakfast mind. I still continue to dabble in that meal about once a week, but it's not the same: American yogurts just don’t make the grade.
Since then my breakfasts have continued on with their ho-hum existence...until now. Just yesterday, I have made a new discovery that just might revolutionize my breakfast, my world, my entire life. I am pleased to announce a new addition to my breakfast repertoire...drum roll please...homemade granola!
Granola: Ready for its close-up.
I made my first batch a few weeks ago for my sister-in-law during Cookie Bonanza. She is a pretty healthy, non-cookie eater person, so I searched for a low-fat recipe with no added sugar except pure maple syrup. I gifted half and saved the rest for me, and the mix of baked oats, almonds, dried cranberries and crystallized ginger suited my palate nicely. With tons of leftover nuts, coconut and dried fruit from the holidays, I decided to have another go. This time, I would try a more fun (i.e. more sugary) version from Bon Appétit that had a combination of oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, honey, coconut flakes, pecans and a mix of dried fruit--I had cranberries and mango on hand.
While it baked, this granola made my apartment smell warm and heavenly that when I finally took it out of the oven, I could barely help myself from snacking on the too-hot-to-touch, caramel-colored flakes. After it cooled down, I had another taste and it was so good that I was disappointed that it was evening and not breakfast time. I reluctantly ate leftover lasagna for dinner, and spent the rest of the evening sneaking handfuls of granola, thinking about granola and dreaming about how great my granola breakfast would be the next morning.
Some very long hours later, after sleep and a workout, it was finally granola time! For this momentous occasion, I thought I should take a picture or two. It was exciting to have some natural morning light to work with, but my pictures weren’t as sharp as I liked so I whipped out my new tripod to get some extra clear shots. Problem is that I am still new to maneuvering the thing, so it took some time to set it up just right. Even though I still wanted to work on getting the perfect granola shot, I wanted to eat the granola more. So my food photography career was put on hold for another day. The granola was as good as I hoped it would be. I paired it with--what else--plain yogurt and fruit.
Now I can’t wait until tomorrow morning.
My first tripod photo shoot. I was too hungry to wipe down the spoon.
P.S. Happy Birthday to my brother Peter!!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Nell's Party, Or a Test at Being Pleasant
When we were in college, Kunka, Pete and I would often go to parties and maybe talk to the one or two people we knew, but pretty much just stand in the corner. Then finally, at the last party of our senior year, this group of dudes who were our mortal enemies (they didn't know it, but they were) came up to us and were like, "For four years, we've seen you at these parties and you don't talk to anyone. You're so...intimidating." (I swear this really happened.)
Ten years later, Yvonne and I go to parties and sit in the corner. Nobody's intimidated.
I bring this up because we went to Adam and Nell's to celebrate Nell's birthday on Sunday, and it gave me a chance to put my New Year's resolution to work, and be more pleasant. Jacey was the first of the Ham readers to identify "pleasant" as an attribute not often associated with the writer of this post. Indeed, it probably falls on the list somewhere between "cuddly" and "graceful." Not that I'm generally un-pleasant, per se, but the idea is to be more open and engaging, to take more joy from being around people. Difficult to do from the couch in the corner. But pleasant, I shall be!
Nell, hands-down one of the most photogenic people we know, hiding behind the lens.
So on this day, while hiply attired guests circulated and raved about Nell's truly to-die-for elk meat chili (!), Yvonne and I...stayed rooted to the couch. What can I say -- social dread, like old habits, dies hard.
(But there's always work, with its awkward elevator rides and the exchange of those closed-mouth, grimace-smiles you give to people you see all the time but don't know. In other words, a whole world of opportunity! And, today, I made a real effort...and I give myself a B. I felt more pleasant, but I'm quite certain nobody could tell the difference.)
Also, Yvonne made a red velvet cake!
Ten years later, Yvonne and I go to parties and sit in the corner. Nobody's intimidated.
I bring this up because we went to Adam and Nell's to celebrate Nell's birthday on Sunday, and it gave me a chance to put my New Year's resolution to work, and be more pleasant. Jacey was the first of the Ham readers to identify "pleasant" as an attribute not often associated with the writer of this post. Indeed, it probably falls on the list somewhere between "cuddly" and "graceful." Not that I'm generally un-pleasant, per se, but the idea is to be more open and engaging, to take more joy from being around people. Difficult to do from the couch in the corner. But pleasant, I shall be!
Nell, hands-down one of the most photogenic people we know, hiding behind the lens.
So on this day, while hiply attired guests circulated and raved about Nell's truly to-die-for elk meat chili (!), Yvonne and I...stayed rooted to the couch. What can I say -- social dread, like old habits, dies hard.
(But there's always work, with its awkward elevator rides and the exchange of those closed-mouth, grimace-smiles you give to people you see all the time but don't know. In other words, a whole world of opportunity! And, today, I made a real effort...and I give myself a B. I felt more pleasant, but I'm quite certain nobody could tell the difference.)
Also, Yvonne made a red velvet cake!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Movie Marathon 2010 (I Can Still Post About Last Year for Another Coupla Days, Right?)
You know by now that we like to stay in for New Year's Eve, eat homemade lasagna and have a little movie marathon. We've done parties, the midnight run in Central Park -- we've never done Times Square, but I did Spain's version of it once, which had the same massive crowds and pickpockets -- and nothing else really compares. Our movie picks always include a classic, a musical and a lite comedy. Here's a quick rundown of what we saw Thursday night:
Harvey - As you can see from my earlier post, this one is a bit of a revelation for me.
Newsies - It's a musical with Yvonne's heartthrob #1, Christian Bale. So she knew she was gonna like it. I was a little skeptical...but nobody told me it's about UNIONS. Two thumbs up! (Though Yvonne says she would've liked it more if she were 13.)
Wet Hot American Summer - Multiple friends whose taste I can no longer trust told me this was hilarious. A cult hit. I worry for the members of this cult.
Harvey - As you can see from my earlier post, this one is a bit of a revelation for me.
Newsies - It's a musical with Yvonne's heartthrob #1, Christian Bale. So she knew she was gonna like it. I was a little skeptical...but nobody told me it's about UNIONS. Two thumbs up! (Though Yvonne says she would've liked it more if she were 13.)
Wet Hot American Summer - Multiple friends whose taste I can no longer trust told me this was hilarious. A cult hit. I worry for the members of this cult.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Jimmy Stewart Is the Man
"In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."
--Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, one of our New Year's Eve "movie marathon" picks.
Also, my guiding motto for 2011. I guess you could call it a resolution.
It won't be easy.
--Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, one of our New Year's Eve "movie marathon" picks.
Also, my guiding motto for 2011. I guess you could call it a resolution.
It won't be easy.
New Year, New Ham
A special announcement:
After three years of writing The Ham, I think things have grown a little stale. I am excited to announce that starting with the new year, Dan will be joining me as co-writer of The Ham.
That's right: Everyday Ham will now be your online destination for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE Team Squeen.
Please give him a warm welcome!
After three years of writing The Ham, I think things have grown a little stale. I am excited to announce that starting with the new year, Dan will be joining me as co-writer of The Ham.
That's right: Everyday Ham will now be your online destination for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE Team Squeen.
Please give him a warm welcome!
The Master List
I love making lists of goals. Every year around this time, like many people, I usually think about the past year and decide how I would like to improve myself in the new one. I have written many a resolution list. I even write resolution lists when its not January 1st. I know there are notebooks around my apartment littered with them and a few months ago, when I was cleaning and organizing my computer files, I found a whopping number of them--old and new--so many I made a folder for them. I read them and was sort of amused and dismayed to find that list after list, year after year I basically write the same list of unaccomplished things. The lists were so similar, in fact, that I took it upon myself to consolidate the data and create one master goal list. Perhaps this is the only list I need now. Except for lists on how to accomplish my goals on the master list ;)
The master list (in a nutshell):
1. Be a writer. Be my own boss. Create something I am proud of.
2. Have an awesome supportive network of family and friends.
3. Live in a cool home with a garden and big kitchen.
4. Travel all over the world.
5. Be healthy, active and strong.
6. Actively work on creative pursuits (photography, cooking, etc).
7. Find spiritual bliss.
I often think to myself that I am unfocused and that I don't know what I want in my life, but obviously there is a part of me that does know, but I just keep ignoring myself or thinking that my list isn't good enough and I will come up with a new, brilliant life strategy. My new year's resolution is to stop procrastinating (what am I waiting for?), read the lists and just do it.
First thing I am knocking off my list? Learn how to swim. Falling under the be healthy and strong category, I've been writing this on my goal lists for about ten years. I never took swim lessons and was afraid of water as a child so as a result, I can barely swim from one end of the pool to another. Every time I watch the summer Olympics, I get inspired to take lessons but never do anything about. No more procrastinating! My friend Danielle and I signed up for a private class at the YMCA; we start this week.Wish me luck...this is definitely conquering one of my big fears, and I am feeling a little scared!
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