Dark and Twisty ... Running in Costume

I was always the pudgy one, the slow one, the uncoordinated one. The one who really didn't want to be noticed. The one who wasn't noticed, until the last pick. I am the geek, the nerd, the freak. Whatever. I exercised my brain and figured one day I would exercise my body. But my body isn't meant for exercise, right? Twelve years ago, living in Northern California, I decided I needed to start somewhere. Fifty pounds heavier than today, I decided ... while in Rome ... I signed up for a marathon and trained with Team In Training. I was slow. It hurt. The Musician called me "stampy" because I plodded. He played my (still) theme song ... Fat Bottomed Girls, by Queen, when I came by the rest stops. It's OK ... it made me laugh and it was true. My fat bottom jiggled. And I hid. I didn't want to be noticed. I dressed in dark drab solid colors. Race day, I wore the purple singlet. Please don't notice me. Please.

It was supposed to be a one and done, but my body hurt and felt good all at once. A year later, I learned why my feet still hurt. Microtears in the bilateral posterior tibial tendons. But, I decided slow and short and eventually I got better. I did a few other marathons ... on whims, and joked about how the majority of my training was on race days. Not fast, but at least I was moving. But, I saw race pictures and always wondered who the miserable girl hiding in my bib was. The forced smile.  The pained expression. The solid, unmemorable, clothes. Please don't notice me, Mr. Cameraman. 

I've always had a dark side and have been wearing skeletons and skulls since 8th grade (before it was cool ... ask my friends). My closet was black and shades of black. In 2013, I signed up for another marathon (by accident, long story) and decided it was time to train again. And I got better (long story, but injured my hip during the race and have not quite been the same. Curse genetics). I changed my diet and my attitude and had lost those pesky 70 pounds (yes, I gained another 20 before I lost them). This time I felt great and didn't mind being seen. The musician found a cool skeleton running kit on-line. I bought it ... and the addiction to INKnBURN began. I wore this kit ... A LOT!!!! I still wear it because it still looks good as new. 

I even wore it to a concert last week. Rock on!!! And yes, I look like I'm crazy.

For the first time ever, I didn't mind being noticed. "Nice bones." "Nice outfit." "Wow, that's a cool kit." This is were it started, running in kits, running in costumes. But, I'm not creative. I'm very analytical ... right-brained. I need help. Desperately. Voila--I have an entire team of artists to help me. I exercise (and live) in matching kits and costumes all the time now. INKnBURN is a small, family-run business in California who designs and hand-prints and hand-sews art on fitness wear. They test and try tons of ideas before release ideas that then then they hand-pack and ship to their loyal fan base. New customers become repeat customers. They create designs and print them once ... that's it. No more. Every year, something different. I thought I would give you an example. These are the ones I have, there are more, I just don't have ALL of them. Not all the costumish kits come out at Halloween, but I thought this was a good time to show them off.

CLASSICS (pre-2014)

Not a full costume kit, but one of my favorites. And included in my first purchase from INKnBURN

The Capris are newer, but Amigo is perfect for all of the Alamo themed races in San Antonio. Yes, I prefer to be on the side of the "bad guys."

2014

2015

These tights were meant to go with the Nerd top, but they just rock in general. And seriously, I think the Nerd kit was designed for me. 

The black and white Pirate capris are classic, but the red and black lace are 2015 and pretty awesome.

They make shirts and kits for men too.

2016

This year, they sold costumes as pre-orders. There are a few items left, so rush off to order if you want them. Otherwise, stalk (I mean watch) the site for new releases. Sign up for the newsletter. Or follow INKnBURN on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and Polyvore and Pinterest. And no, I don't get paid to advertise. I just really like the people and the company and what they stand for. And, honestly, I love the art.

Seriously, this transplanted Texan could go two-steppin' in this. Also great for those Alamo themed races. I could be on the "good" side this year. 

And as you may have noticed, I don't hide from the camera anymore. 

Q's Nuts

I am always looking for good vegan snacks that are tasty, not to bad for you, and easy to pack for day trips, hikes, and road trips. One would think that nuts (if you don't have an allergy) would be optimal. And, often they are. I honestly like all kinds of nuts and I like them plain, salted, or seasoned in some fun ways. Mostly they are candy coated or honey roasted. Neither are great vegan options as the candy coating is often not even vegetarian. So, I was most pleasantly surprised by a care package from CurleyKate while I'm away from home for several months. CurleyKate is trying to lure me to New England and she is tempting me with ALL kinds of vegan finds. She found these at a local weekend market and sent me a big box to sample and share with my friends at work. All flavors are vegan. All are tasty. None are boring. 

Serving size in an ounce and there are 3 ounces per small package. The small packages aren't resealable, so you know what that means ... I eat all three servings at once. And, nuts are not low calorie themselves. For the sweet varieties, I'm looking at about 150 calories per serving. The savory flavors are not coated, but dusted with amazing combinations, lemongrass, sage, etc. They are probably my favorites. The sweet flavors are all coated and the combinations are incredible ...unique. The chocolate flavors do taste like hot cocoa. And who doesn't like bananas? Winter solstice has ginger and also seems to have a little orange or cranberry. The ginger almost makes it seem piney. The almonds seem to be Marconi almonds so they are smooth and have a perfect crunch.

Much to the chagrin of CurleyKate, I can order these on-line at www.qsnuts.com so I can get them without living in New England. When I visit and if I move there, I can also shop to my heart (and tummy's) delight at their new store on Hanover Street in Boston. My biggest problem will be decision making. They are all soooo good.

Primal Strips Vegan Jerky

I had not started a quest looking for vegan jerky options until I discovered Primal Strips at a restaurant. I remember liking the chewy texture and the flavors. Individually wrapped, they are actually rather (can I say it?) ... moist. So, on my search for jerky, I discovered they have 6 flavors and I tried a sample pack. These pack pretty small and conveniently into a day pack or handbag. But, once opened, you have to eat the entire package. No slow graze snacking. 

 There are 6 flavor varieties of 3 types of protein. The calorie content ranges from about 60 to about 100 and the protein content ranges form 6 to 11. The higher calorie and lower protein varieties are made of Shitake mushrooms.

Flavors include:

Shitake Mushroom Hot & Spicy, which has the most uniform appearance. The texture is most "meaty" in my opinion and the flavor and texture remind me of a Slim Jim

Seitan Teriyaki, Thai  Peanut, and Mesquite Lime.  All of these are good. The Teriyaki is probably the sweetest. The others are also flavorful. I don't notice a lot of peanut flavor in the Thai Peanut and not a lot of smokey flavor that I would expect in Mesquite Lime.

Soy Texas Barbecue and Hickory Smoked. The Texas Barbecue is probably the sweetest flavor of all of the strips. I don't really notice a smokey flavor in Hickory Smoked either. But, I don't have the most sensitive palate.

The textures of the Seitan and the Soy seems very similar to me. It's chewy, tough, stringy. I don't mind tough and chewy, because that's what I like about jerky. The moistness of the strips makes them seem less "jerky-like" to me.

Honestly, when grabbing one for a pack, I'm not picky ... I just reach blindly because I know I will be satisfied with any of them. They are a bit simpler to think about putting in a pack than my favorite vegan jerky because they are small and compact. But, I can't nibble a little here and there to have tiny bites throughout the day because the packaging is such that open is open. My overall take, these are convenient and handy to have around. I don't have any real negatives and I will buy again, but they wouldn't necessarily be my first choice of vegan jerky.

Stonewalls' Vegan Jerquee

I like Jerky. I like it for hikes. So, since choosing a plant-based lifestyle I haven't had much in the way of jerky options. I've been on a hunt for good jerky for carrying with me for hikes or road trips. I have found some good ones. And, I have found some I didn't really care for. This is one of them. I don't like to be negative, so I'll be brief. I ordered Stonewall's Vegan Jerkquee sampler packet of 9 flavors. Each packet was 1.5 ounces, single serving. The base of all the Jerquee is defatted soy flour. I admit, it doesn't sound yummy, but what the heck. Packets ranged from 150-165 calories and 12-14 grams of protein. Not too shabby.  

 When I opened the packages, the Jerquee looked like this. The first thought that comes to my mind was dog treats. Depending on the flavor, the color was darker or lighter. "Beefy" flavors were dark brown and "chicken" flavors were beige. The problem when I took a bite, is that the texture and the flavor also reminded me of dog treats. The flavors were minimally different among the ones I tried ... a little spicier, a little tangier, a little saltier ... but mostly the same.

And, then the texture. Just felt like a dried kitchen sponge to me. Chewy, spongey. I am not a foodie. I do not have a sophisticated palate. I just know what I like and what I don't like. Texture is a rare thing for me to have issue with, so it's hard for me to describe. But, if dog treat isn't what comes to mind, sort of sour kitchen sponge would be my next descriptor. 

I honestly tried to give each flavor a shot, but eventually, I just found myself throwing away several packages. I just couldn't do it. I won't buy these again.

Vegan Night Aviano Inn April 2016

I think that Aviano Inn Vegan night is one of my very favorite things about Italy. Well, there is travel and wine and friends and and and ... but this is maybe one of my favorite things about Aviano. Once a month, for 25 euros, they have prix fixe menu of fresh, mostly organic, mostly locally sourced, vegan menu. Service starts precisely at 8 PM and is served family style. Last month, I convinced Mama and Papa Gooch and BIFL to try it with me. This month we convinced the Navigator to join us along with Boss Lady and her littles and Sarge and his wife. The Midwife is in town from Alaska for a conference. Sure, the time difference is tough and she's tired, but she has to eat, right? So, I dragged her along. We arrived early and had an apperitivo that was a great start to the evening. We were seated just before 8 PM and took this blurry pic to commemorate our evening.

Before service started, we were brought some popcorn to snack on. We were told not to fill up. But, it was not like normal popcorn. It was kind of savory, but didn't seem to have anything on it. Some of us might have filled up more than others.

 The menu theme this month is Il Profumo dei Prati--Aroma of meadows. Perfect for spring. We started out with an aperitivo sopresa. The surprise was amazing sweet fresh strawberries. You can tell these were just picked. No transport across the country. Just like when I picked my grandfather's strawberries in his yard as a kid.












Course 1: Crostoni con cerma di asparagi e zenzero--Cream of aparagus crostini with ginger. I swear this greeen aparagus cream tastes like super creamy and rich butter. But, when the ginger was added, the flavors just exploded in my mouth. Bites with and without ginger were like two entirely different foods.

Course 2: Bouquet ai colori dell'orto crepes--Crepes with bouquet of colors of the orchard. Everything on all the plates tonight was edible. The herb tying the crepes, the flowers on later plated. These crepes were filled with multiple vegetables...sweet carrots, zucchini. Not just pretty, but super tasty. I wish I knew how to make vegan crepes.



Course 3: Patate al pesto di erbe--Potatoes with herb pesto. I already knew what to expect on how full I would be, so I started slowing down here. The potatoes were amazing. The herbs were so flavorful and I could pick out fresh dill. This was the start of my take-away plate for tomorrow's lunch.




Course 4: Tramezzini con frittata e fantasia verde--Frittata sandwiches with green fantasia. So, this was not actually the best item on the menu. The fritatta was good. The green fantasia dressing/mayo/or whatever it was is amazing. I think it's the same asparagus cream as the crostini that was amazing and rich like butter. The bread was a bit dry. I took a bite. I took off the top piece of bread and partially deconstructed my sandwich and placed it in my container for lunch. The flowers were edible, but I've never gotten into the edible flower thing.

Course 5: Insalata Primavera con legumi--Spring salad with beans. This was a surprisingly simple but really amazing salad. All kinds of greens including rocket and watercress. Lots of beans including garbanzo, black, kidney, and mung. Few carrots and green onions. It was tossed in simple olive oil with salt and pepper. The flavors of the vegetables were allowed to speak for themselves. There was enough here for me to keep loading my plate. No one else was taking home leftovers. Maybe that's not an Italian thing. But, my belly is getting quite full and I want to really enjoy every bite of this amazing goodness.

Course 6: Muffin alle ortiche--Nettles muffin. Who would have thought? This was not a sweet muffin, but a savory muffin. It was also absolutely beautiful. The flowers were edible. The creamy dressing on top seemed to be the same asparagus cream we have had a few times tonight. It amazes me, though, how tastes can change when combined with other flavors. When I tasted it alone, very buttery. With a bite of muffin, there was an herby flavor.

Course 7: Risotto in technicolor--I kind of like the name of this. Technicolored risotto. Risotto dishes in Italy are creamy and contain cream or milk in them which makes me sad because I could really enjoy a mushroom or asparagus risotto, but my guts might not like me afterwards. This was a really pleasant surprise because I got to enjoy a creamy asparagus and spinach risotto. It was everything I hoped it would be. Flavorful, creamy, herby. I wanted to keep eating, but I knew dessert was coming. And, it is gonna be awesome for lunch.

Course 8: Tiramisu alle fragole--Strawberry tiramisu. I think of tiramisu as coffee soaked lady fingers layered with mascarpone. This was a little different, so I wonder if tiramisu in Italy is layered dessert with some form of cream. There was a little layer of something cake-like in here. The cream was the amazing cream we had on the tart last month. And the strawberries were sweet and fresh and perfect. So glad I saved room.

What an amazing meal with amazing friends. I am making it a point to get to every vegan night while I'm in town. I would give my right arm for something like this back home.

My leftover tray. That's a lot of food. And it was amazing the next day as the first

Budapest for my Birthday

 I had originally planned on going to Rome to run the Marathon over my birthday. But, the logistics of the train and lodging, and actually finishing in time to shower and get back to the train in time to get back to work was just too much. So, I changed my plans. But, I had the weekend off. ITT was doing a tour to Budapest. I've never been to Budapest. Perfect.

So, Saturday morning at some ungodly hour, we departed from Aviano on the bus. I think this is about a 10ish hour drive, so we had to leave early. We stopped for breakfast, as usual, on the freeway. This trip we had a great tour escort. He gave us pointers on what to look for. Yay. I packed a blanket and a pillow and just slept until we arrived. Near arrival time, our tour escort also provided a lot of information regarding the history of Hungary and the details of the city.

Upon arrival in Budapest, we met a tour guide for a walking guided tour of the city. Our first stop was Heroe's Square and I immediately love this city. I love the symbolism here. But, one thing that stands out ... among the monuments to kings and saints is the focus on the people. The statues at the 4 points of the Colonnade represent the lives of people. Labor and Wealth, War, Peace, Art and Knowledge.

We bused to our next stop, along the Danube, and then we walked through the center of the Pest,  and past Parliament. Budapest is really 2 cities. Pest is on the eastern shore of the Danube. This is where most of the city activities happen. It's lower, flatter, and compromises about 2/3 of the area and population of Budapest. Buda is on the western shore. It's higher, and hillier. It's also where the wealth is located as it is where the wealthy desire to live. Work in Pest, live in Buda. Parliament is huge and has different looks from all sides. I was struck by the statue in one of the squares. The bronze doesn't celebrate heroes and generals. But, it's the common people that are memorialized and celebrated.

 

Hungary is very proud of its freedom. Even during Soviet days, they seemed to fare better than other countries with their freedoms to travel and study. Much of it is because of Imre Nagy who was Prime Minister in the 50s. His government led a revolution against Russia and he was executed for it. He is honored for his fight for freedom. And they love the Gipper, who took a selfie with me.

We went past St. Stephen's Basilica. We had a few minutes in the square, so I paid my 2 euro to go inside. I can't pass up a church. (In Europe, I have heard the term ABC--another boring church. I don't find any of them boring. Always something different.) Stephen I is the first king of Hungary. He unified Hungary and converted the pagan tribes to Christianity. His symbol is the double cross. Two interesting things about the Basilica. First is that it houses the mummified right hand of St. Stephen. People come here to pray at the hand. Odd. And the second is something that just was interesting to me. Again, the focus on the people. The statues here focus on the importance of common people. Not grand bishops and cardinals Their greatness is in what they do for the people. 

The hand is in there somewhere

From here we were back on the bus to the Market for lunch. The lower level is primarily food. The second level is products. We had time to grab a bite to eat at the only sit-down restaurant. Very heavy meat base here, so I had the fried vegetables. I did a little wandering and found a sweet Hungarian lace sweater. I took a leisurely and roundabout walk back to the bus and had a great view of the Liberty Bridge.

After lunch we crossed the Danube to Pest. We had views of Buda Castle in the distance.  

Then past St. Matthias Church and a little time to explore Fisherman's Bastion where we had some amazing views of Pest. 

 And for just 7 euro, I made a friend (for a few minutes) of a bird of prey. Boy, these guys are super heavy. The "knight" wasn't sure I could hold him up. Honestly, neither was I.

 

 Wow, it has been a long day since we left Aviano. From here, it's time to find the hotel and freshen up before dinner. Dinner was in the hotel, buffet style. So for me, it was some salad and steamed vegetables. Lots of meat in everything...even the things that are labeled vegetables, so I had to be careful. One of the people on tour heard it was my birthday and told the musicians (yes, there was a little Hungarian band) so I got a "happy birthday" serenade. In English and the right tune. I was a bit embarrassed.

After dinner we had the chance for 20 euros to take an evening boat ride down the Danube. With glass of Proseco, thank you very much. It was cold, but it was breathtakingly beautiful. We passed under the 7 bridges of Budapest. They each have a meaning and are built differently, but I need more time in the city to explore the reasons. The city was lit up beautifully.

 Back to the hotel. If I had written this sooner (yes, I am writing late, but pretending I'm writing on the weekend I went), I would remember the name and give a mini-review. Overall, though, it was nice. Clean. Breakfast was included so I had breakfast in the morning before we had to leave. Too soon. One thing I have decided I will have to come back and I will have to enjoy some of the hot spring baths here. Budapest is famous for the baths, but we didn't have time to enjoy them. Quick turnaround. On our way "home" we stopped at Szentendre. We had a few hours to explore this little village. I guess it's supposed to be well known for museums and artists as it sits along the river. Personally, I had seen just about all there was in about 15 minutes, but that's because I wasn't doing a lot of shopping. It's cute, but I would have preferred more time in Budapest.

 

 I did check out a few museums. How about Marzipan? Some of the details of the sculptures are pretty incredible and these can take hundreds of hours to create. But, really, I wanted to eat them.

 And, really, who doesn't want to make a quick stop at the potty museum? Double decker porta-pottie anyone? Entrance to the museum was free, after you paid to use the public toilet.

 I had heard about a popular snack in Hungary called Langos. It's fried dough. The line at the Market was long and packed, probably because this location is mentioned in several guide books. But, in an alley in Szentendre, I found a place selling it. My first thought smelling it was "funnel cake." Traditional way of eating it is with sour cream and cheese. Well, that's not going to work for me, so I had it with vegetables. OK ... once was enough. Funnel cake was right, but without the powdered sugar. Super greasy. And the vegetables I think were canned peas & carrots. It sat in my gut like a rock and I didn't finish it.

From here, we were back on the bus. Made a stop for dinner at a roadside supershop. It was amazing actually. They had a salad bar to die for with beets (not pickled) and chick peas and jicama and a vegetable soup that was really vegetables. I chowed down. For part of the ride it was light outside and I was awake. Pretty scenery. It was late when we got home and I had to get to bed fast so I can work tomorrow.