Archive for April 2007
Silence
Went out to Red Rock today by myself. It was so gorgeous. I climbed down a bunch of rocks, and then I climbed up a bunch of rocks. I didn’t have to make a sound for three hours. I laid down on one rock and took a little nap. It was so quiet I could feel that buzzing noise that fills your ears when there is no other sound.
Could this be love?
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Currently listening to…I’m not telling.
Hard Rock, Bonanza & Ba-Ba-ReeBa, and, if I’m lucky, Pink Taco–Just Another Typical Friday Night in Sin City, Baby
I haven’t been to the Hard Rock yet, so this should be educational.
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Currently listening to Not Jet, but what the hey!
Spaghetti Bowl My Ass
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I hate Las Vegas traffic. HATE IT.
When I first moved here I made fun of the DJs on radio, because they were always talking about “how bad Las Vegas traffic” is. In the beginning, I was like “Yeah, whatever. Every city loves to brag about how bad their traffic is.” Bragging about your city’s shitty traffic is like the equivalent of a teenager bragging about how misunderstood she is. Borrrrrrrrrrrrrring.
But I am beginning to understand that maybe, just maybe, the DJs, and everyone else who complains about it, is on to something. I was sitting in traffic today, just simply going insane. Driving to work makes me so agnry. I think I need to get my work hours changed before I succumb to complete and utter Road Rage.
*Update: As of Monday, I’ll be arriving 1/2 hour earlier and leaving 1/2 hour earlier in an attempt at thwarting the phantom wrecks that cause the major blockage around 7:40 am. YESSSSSSSSSSSS
And is it just me, or is there an eerie number of white cars in that picture?
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Currently listening to: The Birds and The Bees
The Hub of the World
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I found this photo by BTal on Flickr today. He’s always taking great photos that I like to put in this blog. This one is of the South End of Boston, and it makes me sooooo nostalgic for living there.
During the hike last night, I was speaking with a guy from Queens, New York and he told me that, other than the amazing outdoors, he hated living in Las Vegas. Although I don’t hate it here, I can see his point.
I don’t know if it’s because Las Vegas is still so young, or if Boston is just an exceptionally lovely city, but I find city life here pretty drab. I mean, the strip is novel and that’s kind of fun, and there is a great variety of places at which to shop/eat/play, but Las Vegas feels so disjointed, like a Frankenstein’s Monster of simalcrum pieces–New York New York, Paris Hotel, Caesar’s Palace–living side by side. The suburbs are marketed with a vague “southwestern” feel, which seems like a ripoff, too, from Santa Fe or Albuquerque. Other than the strip, chain stores and restaurants have tight control over the expansion of this city. It’s uncommon to go anywhere that there isn’t at least five others of elsewhere in the city.
No doubt this city has been planned well, I have never lived in a city that is so incredibly convenient and accessible. Parking is never a problem, and there’s usually valet, streets are wide and even (although traffic is a total bitch, but that’s nothing unusual for a city) and this is also the cleanest city I’ve ever lived in. (Ironic that “Sin City” is also the cleanliest?) But nothing feels connected or part of a whole.
Not like it does in Boston, anyway. Each part of Boston, whether it be the South End, Brookline, Back Bay, Cambridge, even Allston and Brighton, all sort of radiate as a single expression, as if each part of town is tethered–visually, architecturally or otherwise–to a solid center. There’s so much character to this city that it oozes out of the sidewalks and the brownstones and the light posts. It’s still my favorite city, ever.
I so enjoyed the gorgeous landscape of the hike in Red Rock last night, and am not quite ready to give it up. But…Boston, you’re calling my name again. If only I were able to spend half my life there and half here. Not for a long long while, if ever. I have left Boston twice, and I always miss it so much when I leave. I’m glad I moved here to Las Vegas, but, I don’t know. I still don’t see me spending the rest of my life here…
Hiking Kraft Mountain
Top of Kraft Mountain
I went on another hike last night with the Las Vegas Trailblazers. It was a small group again, of about 6. Melissa came this time, and I’m glad she did. She is an amazing hiker, and was beating us all to the top by a huge lead.
This hike was more challenging, but it was worth it because there was so many things to see. We started at Calico Basin, at the end of the road, and hiked up and around a steep, steep trail to the top of Kraft Mountain, aka “Pink Mountain”, which is part of Red Rock. Pink Mountain gets it’s name because it’s mottled red and white rock, which looks pink from a distance. After half an hour we arrived at the top, I was really out of breath. The picture above is a view from the top. The scenery was awesome; we were treated to a gorgeous evening vista of red rock and valley not visible unless you make the hike.
After the climb, we stopped for a minute and then began starting down. We had to maneouver over and around some giant boulders, that descended steeply and suddenly. This part, although not physically tiring, was kind of scary for me because the rocks are so smooth, it is easy to slip. Fortunately, my awesome Keen hiking shoes have wikked tread, and therefore a solid grip on the rock, so I was able to descend without falling.
I’m such a novice hiker, and it’s apparant when hiking with Melissa. Not only is she in amazing physical shape, she trusts her balance and the capability of her feet completely, rarely using her hands to balance. I, on the other hand, was often using my hands to help me over some larger rocks. I aspire to be like her, where I can just cavort around the rocks with no fear of falling.
20 minutes later, we reached a narrow valley, which was an old dry river bed cut out between the giant red boulders. The rocks are white, striped with iron oxide that turns it red. It is some type of porous rock, like sandstone. The stripes really remind me of bacon. In some areas, the iron oxide is concentrated in dark red dots against the pinkish rock, making it look like the mountain has a horrible case of chicken pox. There’s also iron sulfide in the rocks, which is yellow. Very gorgeous colors all around.
We traipsed through the narrow river bed, ever downward, and crossed over a few large, steep drops of river-warn, smooth rock. It was a fun challenge to figure out the puzzle of how to get down these big drops. Luckily there were other experienced people to help me out.
We broke out of the rocks and onto a dirt plateau overlooking Las Vegas, which was neat. We walked around the mountain, and back towards the little village of Calico Basin. This was my favorite part, it was so amazingly gorgeous because you could see all across Red Rock Canyon. I don’t have any pictures of that, really, tho, because it was near dark and I knew the pictures wouldn’t come out without a tripod. I hope to go back and do this hike again, earlier in the day, so I have more light for photos.
This was the hardest, but also the best hike I’ve ever done. Afterwards, we drove to the Outside Inn for dinner. We had a good time. I love hiking!
View of Red Rock Canyon from the top of Kraft “Pink” Mountain. Here you can see the striped red/white rock on the left which reminds me of bacon.
Descending
View from the narrow river bed, known formally as “Lower Gateway”
Here’s a view of Kraft Mountain, taken from Muffin Rock. It’s the pink mountain in the foreground. We started on the left and climbed around all the way and circled back from the right. In total, it took about an hour and a half/two hours.
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Currently listening to: office gossip and the fax machine
Hey, New York City: You Know What? I Get It Already.
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I am so bored of seeing all these tv shows/movies/songs/books that take place in New York City. Shows that glorify how great it is. Yeah, it’s a big city, I’ve seen it. So, you think it’s the most known metropolis in the universe. OK, I get it. Every 3rd or 4th movie supposedly takes place there. How tedious. Can the media please stop being so single-minded? I’m getting really sick of you, Manhattan. And you’re no better, Brooklyn. Come on people, there’s more to life than this. Can we move on now? Thanks.
Don’t laugh, California. You’re next.
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Currently listening to Foley Room by Amon Tobin
Some Demons
One of my demons, or a fun cake I made for a friend? Read on to find out….
I have been doing some thinking about the Taste Testing post I wrote on Friday. Health and fitness have been at the forefront of my concern for some 15 years, maybe? There have been times when I have been healthy and fit, but those times have been few and far between in the last decade and a half. And I can’t tell if it’s the media or not, but I’m really feeling like I need to make a physical change and get a bit healthier. Of course I always groan at the thought of leaving the comfort zone. However, I do like my plan of giving up things for a month, ’cause I know it’s manageable.
I’ve been trying to do better with the health thing overall, I started flossing (yeah, I know). I do alright during the day. But in the evening/night, the savage beast of craving (be it nicotine or sugar or alcohol or whatever) wells up inside, all strong and fizzing at the mouth.
I don’t know quite how to deal with this Jekyll vs. Hyde aspect of my personality, but for the record, I usually end up giving in to it. I want to try to evict Hyde from my mind and body. I don’t want any demons to control me, right? So these next few months are going to be an attempt at an exorcism.
Incidentally, I baked a panda cake for Andrea’s 29th birthday party this weekend. (No, I didn’t eat any of it, again for the record.)
I hate being tired and hungry and lonely and knowing I shouldn’t eat or smoke cigarettes to make me feel better. Wellll, I’m just going to go to bed and hope these cravings go away under the sweet blanket of zzzzzzzzz……..
(PS: So sorry if I mixed metaphors anywhere in this post, I have a feeling I did somewhere.)
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Currently listening to Exit Music by Mark Ronson AND Violator by Depeche Mode
Taste Testing
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Sugar = Satan, that’s all there is too it.
Last summer, I felt like I was pretty addicited to sugar, so I gave it up for June. I cut out all sugar, and even things that had fake sugar, so I could see what it would be like to go without anything sweet. I think I lost 5 pounds, without otherwise changing my diet. The next month, I gave up alcohol, and lost another couple of pounds, even though I was eating sugar again. When I left Boston, I certainly wasn’t in perfect shape, but I was in the best shape I had been in the whole 3 years I lived in Massachusetts.
My nutrition has slipped since living in Las Vegas. Really slipped. Out of the 10 pounds or so I lost last year due to spinning at the gym and the no sugar/no alcohol + generally eating pretty healthy, I have since gained that back, plus like 10 more. Ugh. It’s depressing. I found that about 10% of my entire daily thought revolves around how I’d like to feel a bit better about the state of my body. I mean, I’m generally healthy otherwise; I don’t have any addictions (except sugar) and I have really become aware of my portions, so that helps. Plus I’ve been hiking once or twice a week and trying to spend time at the gym.
Part of the problem is that I currently don’t buy my food and don’t cook any of the meals, so I tend to generally eat whatever is made for me, cause I don’t want to be picky. Usually carbs are provided, and I end up eating large quantities of those because, well, they’re delicious. When I cook for myself, I tend to leave those out of my meals altogether because usually the temptation to gobble huge amounts is overwhelming.
I know that once I move out on my own, my eating will normalize again and I probabaly won’t have too much trouble getting the extra weight off, but the problem is, the longer I stay with the Clarks, the more weight I’m slowly gaining, and the harder it will be to get off once I move out.
Of course I could just eat healthier around the house with what food I have, but that is really a lot harder, and I mean, damn near impossible, than it sounds. I’m surrounded by so much delicious crap food that it’s unbearable, especially when I come home from work starving. I don’t eat huge quantities of it, or anything, but I do nibble between meals and that is my ultimate downfall.
Before I have to start buying new clothes for myself to accomodate my expanding body, something has to be done. Suzanne and I debate this eating issue rather constantly, and I hate talking about it and fixating on it (it’s so catty), but at least she does it as much as me so we can commiserate. Just last night, after 5 year old Max refused to take any more than two bites out of his bacon cheesburger, she turned to me, and said “Wouldn’t it be great if you never wanted to eat more than two bites?” We’ve talked about kid’s desire to eat only what they have to, so many times, so much that I’ve began pondering the root of it. Namely, when did food become such a prize? When did something that you had to eat to survive became something that you did for enjoyment/comfort/entertainment?
It bothers me to think of how much I consider food a treat, whether it be healthy or not. I’m sure it’s Hedonism, plus the occasional depression, but I quite often use food to make me feel better, or simply just eat the sugar because it’s there and it’s gratifying.
Of course this is the rant and rave of like 70% of America, I don’t deny that I’m pretty common in my qualms with nutrition, but I have to do something before I become unhealthy to the point where I completely loathe myself. Because, after all, whether or not a large majority of our country is coming to terms with it’s horrible eating habits, change all boils down to the individual.
Sure, magazines and Oprah have a million ways for you to lose weight + feel great, but damnit, most of those health tips are for quick fixes, especially the speed pills and the metabolism supplements, all such a lie.
But changing your eating habits is truly a daunting task, especially when you’re really hungry and someone in your house has just cooked beer bratwurst. Diets aren’t for me, well, they truly aren’t for anyone. Like the supplements or speed, they’re just a quick fix for the time being. Everyone knows that losing weight really comes down to simply eliminating/controlling your most heinous eating habits so that you don’t ever risk being unhealthy again.
Of course, I do believe that my three biggest problems are 1) Sugar 2) Alcohol (and the cravings that come with an intoxicated body) 3) Salty foods like chips. Since last summer’s fast from sugar and alcohol was so successful, I think that I am going to try it again this year in order to regain a sense of general health and well being.
When giving up a habit, the first few days are the worst, but then it gets better and is tolerable after a while. I always feel it’s good to challenge/shake your patterns before they completly settle and become impossible-to-break habits. But like quitting smoking, you need to avoid places and actions that usually lead you back into your bad habit, because if you’re lonely or stressed or angry or drunk, those habits can suck you back in so fast and then all of a sudden you’re back at square one.
Giving up something for a month rather that forever is much easier, because you give your body a chance to detoxify, but yet the looming scariness of “never again will I eat that” is not over your head. A month is something you can do, and it’s a pretty good goal to set. That being said, I think I’ll try a few different months worth of eating experiments. The idea is that after a few weeks without beer or sugar or tortilla chips, my cravings for them will dissapate, and my desire for them will wane, to the point where I don’t need them anymore to feel good, and my life eating habits will improve. Below is a list (up for some modification) of what items I plan to cut from my diet in the coming months:
May: No alcohol. I dont’ think this will be too hard, but it will be beneficial.
June: No sugar, or sugary-tasting substitues. This will force me to drink more water. This will also be really, really difficult for me.
July: No bread, no pasta, no chips. Wish me luck.
August: No salty snacks, ie: roasted nuts, chips, pretzels, that sort of thing.
September: Only drink water (again, no alcohol, but also cuts out a lot of potentially sugary drinks.)
October: No meat. (oh, why not. I’ll try being veggie for once).
Well, six months is as far as I want to plan ahead. Let’s see where I am after that.
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Thinking of challenging an eating habit??? Click on this for a motivational story…
Kurt Vonnegut: 1922-2007
Gah…Where have I been? Apparently not reading enough news. I just now heard that Kurt Vonnegut died last week. What an awesome writer, what a great man. He wrote so many amazing books. I just finished reading Slaughterhouse Five a couple of weeks ago…and I really have started admiring him as a writer, so this is an especially poignant death for me.
RIP, you are a legend!
Planet Earth Television Series
Mostly television does us wrong. But sometimes, it does us right. And in the case of the BBC’s/Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth, it is very, very right. The BBC is without a doubt the best at making nature shows. I do believe this is the most amazing show I have ever seen.
Remember how amazing and revolutionary Blue Planet was? I saw things I had never seen before, and still shiver at the thought of some of those deep sea beasties, first caught on film in that series. Well, the crew of Planet Earth has REALLY outdone themselves on this one.
I remember first seeing a promo for this show in a movie theater back in early March. And I knew right away that not only did I have to see it, but I already knew that I eventually wanted to own it so that I could watch it over and over and over. Unfortunately, I missed the two first episodes, but will henceforth be glued to our giant HD flat screen TV Sunday nights at 8pm.
The first show I saw was the “rainforests” one, and my jaw was on the floor practically the entire hour. Not only will this show inspire you to help conserve the planet, it will also make you wonder why you didn’t major in biology so you could be out there experiencing this first hand.
The BBC film crew employed some special cinematography effects that are so amazing that I literally get chills and all emotional when I watch these scenes. The camera work is out of this world, the colors are vibrant and dizzying, and the subjects are so much more spectacular than you have ever previously imagined. Not to mention, this video was 5 years in the making, so they have collected the absolutely most wonderful footage, and it’s perfectly, perfectly edited.
The only thing I was *slightly* disappointed with is, why did they have to Americanize the series by hiring someone with an American accent to re-narrate the film? Everyone knows that David Attenborough is the best for these sorts of things. Sigourney Weaver is “ok” but frankly I find her a bit flat–she just doesn’t seem all that amazed by the imagery, and you can hear her blandness. Oh well, no worries. When the DVD is available, and I WILL be getting it, it will include the original narration by Attenborough, which I imagine will be infinitely better.
If you’re not watching it, you’re missing out on a turning point in the realm of television experience. Don’t forget to enter the drawing that will give you a trip to one of six (out of 204) locations where they filmed! Click here to enter contest.
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Currently listening to The Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy
