Changing subject for now..

I never want to be that girl...you know the one who goes on and on about being engaged, her fiance (that word just makes me think of Seinfeld..i.e."the dingo ate your fiance"...), the wedding(cake, bridesmaids, giant pouffy dress - blech!). Anyone who knows me knows I am not that girl. I am the girl who slings coffee for a living. Who does races, gets her hands dirty cooking, wipes spit-up off her shirt every time she visits her niece Sally(Oh, Sally!). 

In short, I like to think of myself as earthy, humble, salt-of-the-earth.

In other words, that last blog was making me self-conscious, so I am changing the subject.

Off to Hong Kong Wednesday to check out the running scene. Ok, it's actually in the 90 degree range and 85% humidity there right now, so I'm not sure there will be running.

I'll tell you what there will be in Hong Kong: Massive eating, shopping and a crazy 7 1/2 hour cooking class! In the words of my Grandmother Belle, Oy Vey Iz Mir!

I miss all my Teamsters and can't wait till I can run with you again, September 12th!

p.s. I will show you the hardware when I see you. It's really beautiful.

First Official Team Joe Engagement!

Part I

Dinner was great last night at Au Pied de Cochon. Lots of delicious fat was eaten, red wine from Vacqueyras washed down the bison tongue, lamb shank, boudin, maple pie...(extra runs needed).

Poor Anthony was nursing a head cold. We decided to forgo the jazz club and the funky lounge and head back to Hotel St.Paul so he could get some rest.

In the taxi home, the radio was tuned to the Opera station. Some gorgeous aria by Puccini was playing. I was feeling romantic...

We got upstairs and I was about to make Anthony a nice cup of Mint tea, when suddenly he pulled out a small black velvet box. He asked, I answered "show me the ring!", and then "yes, of course!".
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Part II

Some of you may not know this, but Anthony and I met through Team Joe. March 2007, Anthony, fresh off the boat from Australia and looking for a running club in his new home, saw a sign up at Joe about Team Joe. He sent me an email, and got back my generic response, "Dear Anthony, please feel free to show up any Saturday for our weekly run! I look forward to running with you soon! Cheers, Gabby"

Not only did he show up, but we soon became friends. After almost 2 years of being friends, my brother Jonathan said to me, "why don't you date your friend Anthony?". Hmm...for those of you who don't know Jonathan, let me tell you, he can be brutal about men I have dated. For anyone to pass his test would be high praise indeed. An eyebrow was raised...

New Year's Eve 2009. I had nobody to kiss. Neither did Anthony. I jokingly suggested we kiss each other at midnight and then forget about it.

Didn't forget about it, did we?

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Moral to story:

All The Single Ladies out there: Don't give up! It can happen anytime anyplace. Wait for the real thing!

Montreal 10K

This weekend I am off to my old stomping grounds, the city of my Alma Mater, Montreal. I studied Le Musique, specifically Classical Voice(Opera). I had a wonderful experience both at McGill University and in the city as a whole. 

What I think I missed out on while living there was running. I became a runner roughly one year after I graduated and moved to NYC. Now, I hear there are some great runs to be had in The City By The St. Lawrence, and I intend to right my wrongs in that respect with a couple good jaunts. To be fair, I will be eating a large amount of delicious artery-clogging food as well, so there is the need cleanse as well...Check out Au Pied du Cochon... absolutely heart-stopping.

I will be sure to report back to you Monday...

Hot Yoga? Hot Running!

Gotta get the run in! Last week I ran once at 7 a.m. and once at 2:30 p.m., both when it was muggy. It's not easy but it's not impossible. Check out link in above title for tips to hot running.

My personal tips: run slowly, drink lots of water, stop and walk once in a while, treat yourself to a donut afterward.

Today in a few minutes, Deborah and I will hit the Hudson Park. I cannot say that I am looking forward to it.

Things I'd rather be doing:
eating donuts
watching the 30 DVR'd shows I need to get to before they're deleted
sitting in air-conditioning and finishing the stack of books I can't seem to get through
cook my way through Julia Child's cookbook
nap
eat dim sum

Anyway, wish me luck!

Gabby

New Team Shirts Ordered

That's me above...did I ever tell you about my previous life as a sportswear model? 

I went into Jackrabbit to visit Doug Oldiges, who is in charge of such things(don't remember his title) as team shirts. He's found us a new shirt from a company called Sport Science. It combines the feel of cotton with wicking properties for a soft sporty running top.

I ordered 5 each of Women's  small and medium and Men's medium and large. They will be less costly than last time, at $20 a pop wholesale.

 the design will be       TEAM

                               on the front and the same logo on the back with "www.joenewyork.com" on the back.

Who wants one? Besides you, Dad...that one's on me.

Looks like a good time...

Here we are together at the 10K, looking spry, then Anthony ("GQ picture") and me ("What NOT To Wear", especially sunglasses on hat and fanny pack around waste...nerd!). 

Now that I can think again...

Yes, the 13.1 mile ordeal was rough. Now that I've had some rest, I want to mention how nice the PBDS (Powered By Dim Sum) folks are! We all shared dim sum, and boy, can they eat dim sum. They know how to order, too! Chicken Feet, tripe, and all manner of dumplings.

PBDS seem to be pretty competitive runners, so I am not sure if they will be joining us for our weekly jogs. Maybe just dim sum. Fine by me. I wouldn't want to make a habit of running that half-Marathon again just for dim sum...maybe if there was a maple bacon donut at the end...