Guess What Song...

....we had too much fun with at the office today.

Linnea Buys a Ticket

I finally got this to be right side up and with sound. Be impressed. Be VERY impressed (with both my ticket buying skills, and my video editing skills - which are both about the same level).

My Day in LuKong

I have been informed that my pictures are "boring"...so here is some video snippets of some daily moments that may prove less boring to watch...perhaps. Arwyn and I made it with Artur in mind, but hey...why not just open it up to the world...right?

Taiwan Day 2

Things Taiwan Does Well Part II

1. Pineapple Cake
2. Oreo Milkshakes
3. Giant Carved Wood Tables
4. Masks for Scooter Riding (I have GOT to get one of these)
5. Christmas Cards (which is weird to me since they don't celebrate it)

Things Taiwan Does NOT Do Well Part II

1. Smog Control (Yes this can make the list twice)
2. Kiwi Milkshakes
3. Notify you that the "colored tofu" you are eating is really congealed pigs blood
4. Joke when you pay the $79 NTD bill in $1 NTD coins
5. Insulation

12 Hours in Taiwan....

Things Taiwan Does Well...

1. Orange Juice
2. Scooter Traffic
3. Chinese Food
4. Recycling
5. Make Garbage Pleasant (the Garbage Truck sounds like an Ice Cream Truck which I think could turn out to be quite a let down under the right circumstances)

Things Taiwan Does NOT so well...

1. Sidewalks
2. Mosquito Control
3. Smog Control
4. Mattresses (is that how you spell it?)
5. Hot Water Heaters (I thought I was DONE with cold showers after living in Tbilisi).

I Am Kinda In Love With This...

I Finally Got a Picture of This!

I have been hoping this would happen again for a long time so I could catch it on film! The batteries in my FIL’s remote went out and this was his solution. Too bad the camera on my phone isn't better.

It gives you a second burst of CO2!

Monday this week was a VERY cold and VERY rainy day. I got home early and curled up to watch the older Waffle Episode of Good Eats. I was so enthralled with the idea of waffles and double acting baking powder (it lets off a second burst of CO2 when the batter his 120 Degrees)! On Wednesday night I was all primed and ready to get home from work and go running. I first stopped at the store on the way home from work for a few things. While there I was again enthralled with the idea of waffles and double acting baking powder! It was again cold and rainy, and being the cravenly runner I am, I decided to swap running for waffles! Be honest, you all would have done the same thing! Anyhow, off I went in search of Double Acting Baking Powder. It sounds like a specialty item so I hoped they had it. I didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out that most baking powders ARE Double Acting, but I didn’t know that and I bought one anyway.

While making my waffles and using my NEW DOUBLE ACTING BAKING POWDER, I remembered that I had recently already bought baking powder. I decided to brave my giant spice cabinet mess to see if I could find it. I did find it, and two others as well. I checked the expiration dates on them and just about died laughing. I guess it has been a while since I cleaned out the spice cabinet. I laughed just long enough to take the above picture and then pitch the extraneous expired double acting baking powders in the trash. I guess it is sad when your house clutter even expands to the spice cabinet!

The waffles were FANTASTIC and I am certain it is all because of the second burst of CO2 when the batter hit 120 degrees! Gotta love Alton Brown!

10 Things My Second Sprint Triathlon Taught Me

1. I actually felt a lot more like running about 10 minutes after the race then while I was doing the race.

2. The idea of post race food did not make me want to puke.

3. You can cut 15 minutes off your time even if your 5k run time is 5 minutes slower than the first one.

4. Biking in flip flops is A-OK and if you don’t have clipless pedals, it is MUCH better than biking in your running shoes!

5. Since they write the ages at the end of the year on everyone's right calf, I spent the whole 5k looking at the calves of the people that passed me to see how far behind I was getting. Then, for the rest of the day, I found myself checking the calves of everyone in front of me for their age.

6. Bring a bright streamer or tie thingy to mark your bike transition location so you can find it easily.

7. The people with kids will still forget the baby powder for their socks

8. A single French braid is perfect for racing with long hair

9. Body Glide will actually make your permanent marker body marked numbers bleed down your skin.

10. I don’t believe that the wetsuit made me much faster (though I understand that it is scientifically impossible for it NOT to make you faster), but it DEFINITLY gave me more confidence.


How I faired on my “5 Things to do before my second triathlon” goal list

1. Train for real (example: Lose 700 lbs)
A: I biked to and from work most days. I did not do much running or swimming. I lost 20 lbs…680 lbs to go before next triathlon.

2. Practice open water swimming using REAL swimming
A: Tried but the swim beaches were closed

3. Work on my “running a 5k while tired” time
A: That will still be a goal for next time as well

4. Find some sort of triathlon clothing so I don’t change during transitions
A: I bought some tri shorts on clearance at a running store and got a tri top for $10 off of ebay. Both performed very well.

5. Register early and by mail to save about $50.
A: This should always be a goal…yes?

My STILL Funny Mother In Law

So, while Artur is in Italy, his mother, Maria, is running one of his businesses. This is what she chose to wear today. I feel kind of like the mother to a 3 or 4 year old who just HAS to dress themselves. I can't decide if it is the sweater vest over the Florida Gators T-Shirt, the gardening hat, the pink striped pants, the 10 different colored socks, or the normal Nikes that are my favorite part. :-)