Cupcakery WIN!

Chocolate + red wine = fabulous cupcake.

I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Combine. (and write recipe down in super awesome new notebook) And yes, I used store bought icing since I don't have a mixer to make the real stuff. Trust me, we are all better off this way.

I am a glowing white ghost. And I cook in a jacket and a scarf. I've never claimed to be good in the kitchen...

Most delicious batter EVER. 

Oops. First batch FAIL. Still tasted good, they just looked ugly. I definitely overfilled the foils. 

Much better. A little bootleg but they tasted divine. 

I tried to be creative with my photography... 

Another fail. 

So these didn't look fantastic or anything but they tasted dee-light-ful. I definitely overwhipped the batter though so they didn't form very nicely. I used this recipe and I highly recommend it. Coming up in March...gin and tonic cupcakes perhaps?? I'm trying to go with something greenish. We shall see...the cupcakery will continue!!

Runupdate and Other Items of Interest

So I made it 3 miles yesterday. Since I was forced to run inside at the gym I was limited to 30 minutes on the dreadmill and there was no way in heck I was going to squeeze in 4 miles in 30 minutes. My plan is to keep upping the pace during my 30 minute runs during the week, then go for a longer distance on the weekend. By Saturday I'm confident that I can do 4 miles in 40 minutes or less.

In other, more interesting news, I plan on drinking a glass on wine tonight, watching figure skating (and Lost) and going to bed ridiculously early. Stay tuned for my February cupcake update...these were MUCH better than last month's.

And some pics to keep you entertained...

Deuce celebrating Mardi Gras.

I'm smart cuz I have a big brain. 

True love.

The good ole days.

Everybody Get Your Run On

I'm scheduled to run the Monument Avenue 10k in just over 1 month. So far, I have done a whopping 3 miles at a time...probably at about a 10 minute mile pace...a few times a week (sometimes just once a week, oops). Uggg...not so grand. I REALLY want to do it in less than 1 hour so I am going to force myself to up the mileage and the pace. I have major issues with my IT band (runs from your hip to your knee) thanks to the many years I spent as a competitive figure skater, so I have to take it easy or I'll wind up back in physical therapy. Apparently falling on your butt hundreds of times a week can throw off your entire anatomical structure. Anyways - Be prepared for running updates on the blog...I have to keep myself accountable some how.

I don't really consider myself a runner but I love the thrill of running in a race. This will be my 3rd year doing the 10k and I've also done an 8k and a 5-mile mud run. I really wish I had it in me to train like a real runner and get my tush in more races. My brother, Tristan, and I have sort of created a tradition of running the Monument 10k and I'm really looking forward to it again this year. Tris is SO MUCH faster than I am and is a real runner. He is on the triathlon team at NC State and runs all the freaking time. It is nice to run with him since he pushes me to go faster.

Brian actually ran track in college but refuses to run in races with me. He claims to be "retired". Basically he thinks he is past his prime and doesn't want to bring in times that are comparable to his 12-year-old-self. The only race I've ever convinced him to run with me was the Mud Race and he completely left me in the dust. C'est la vie.

So, with all of that being said, let's bring on the racing pictures!

Monument 10k 2008...tearin' it up in the rain. 

Brian & Q dominating the mud (more like sand) race.

My brother is a real athlete; he makes me look bad. 

In the spirit of the 2010 Monument 10k I WILL RUN 4 MILES TOMORROW and report back here. 

A Fear, Conquered. Sort of...

I am currently reading a really good book called "The Survivors Club" by Ben Sherwood. It is a New York Times Best Seller. I tend to trust the NYT so I figured it would be a good read. I also really liked "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales which is a similar type of book. I am a geek for nonfiction, especially if it has some sort of relevancy to my life.

Basically "The Survival Club" is about survival (duh) - why do some people survive extraordinary things while others don't. It may seem morbid but it is actually an incredibly interesting and USEFUL book. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice piece of nonfiction.

Anyways, Sherwood has a whole chapter on airplanes. But before I get into details let me tell you that I am incredibly afraid of flying. I've flown dozens and dozens and dozens of times...maybe even hundreds and hundreds and I hated every single flight. I hate the fact that I have NO CLUE how an airplane works (a giant piece of metal flying thousands of feet in the sky whilst going ridiculously fast??? No thank you). I hate turbulence. And most importantly, I hate the fact that if my plane were to crash, I would have TIME to think about death. In almost every other type of accident you would really have no idea what was about to hit you. It all just happens so fast. But in a plane, you KNOW what is going to happen. I can just imagine that would be the most horrible and hopeless feeling in the world. So yeah, hence my utter paranoia. I spend the entire week before a flight suffering from horrible anxiety and whilst I am on said flight, I am basically having an internal freak out.

But now, thanks to the Survivor's Club, I think I have a much HEALTHIER outlook on flying. Here are some interesting and wonderful things I learned.
- The risk of death per randomly chosen flight is 1 in 60 MILLION. I like those odds.
- On average that means you could fly every day for the next 164,000 years before you would perish in a crash. I need this type of perspective...it really helps with the anxiety.
- The survival rate in plane crashes is 95.7%. THIS IS THE BEST NEWS I HAVE EVER EVER EVER READ. SERIOUSLY, WHO KNEW?!
- How do they know this? The National Transportation Safety Board analyzed all the airplane accidents between 1983 and 2000. 53,487 people were involved in those accidents and 51,207 SURVIVED.
- Of those accidents, 26 were the worst. Excluding those accidents that were the worst (i.e. no one had a chance) the survival rate in the most "serious" accidents is 76.6%.
- Basically, many plane crashes are survivable.

I could really go on and on about this, but in the end Sherwood concludes that people survive plane crashes because they pay attention to what is going on, they do not panic, and they ACT. Knowing this, I feel a lot better about future flights that will come my way. And I will try REALLY REALLY hard not to sit there in a panic-stricken coma. If you have any sort of anxiety about flying (or survival in general) you need to buy this book immediately.

Fly on people, fly on!!!

Hail Carrie!

Let me tell you about the most amazing and awesome computer game ever created. Yes, I said computer game...I am a dork, whatevs...

Behold, Caesar 3!!

The concept of Caesar 3 is simple...Build a better Rome. Basically you start with a giant open piece of land, complete with hills, trees, and bodies of water. Then you must "build" houses to lure citizens to your town. To keep everyone happy you must provide food and water, construct temples, create jobs, offer security and medical protection, put on festivals, build schools, grow crops, ward off invading militaries, and keep the Gods (and Caesar) happy. If your citizens are unhappy with your work they will either die or move away. I've never played the Sims, but I imagine it is kind of like that, except more important since you are BUILDING A CITY. I used to build ridiculously awesome cities with populations of like 50,000...

My Uncle Ted gave me the game for Christmas a LONG time ago and I must admit that I STILL love playing it. Not so much recently, but definitely within the last year (I promise you I'm 25...really...ahem). In fact, I love the game so much that my little brother got me Caesar4 for Christmas 2008 (I was a bit overwhelmed by the graphic improvements in Caesar 4...I like to keep it old school). 

You should really go order Caesar 3 on ebay or something because once you start playing you.will.not.stop. 

Here are some screen shots of the game to prove its awesomeness. 

This person is CLEARLY an amateur Caesar 3 player. Notice the little huts mixed in with all the larger dwellings. Obviously those citizens do not have access to something important like water or a market. Good effort with the addition of a Roman Bath though...

Much better. This person is obviously an expert. Notice the thriving wine industry and addition of a Gladiator stadium. They've got a few places that need improvement, but overall nice effort. 

Oops, this person tried to build a fortress to protect against invading militaries and FAILED. The structure burnt down or was pillaged. Notice the citizens fleeing on the bottom on the screen. Tsk tsk tsk..

This is how it all starts. You build some roads, plop down a few tents and watch people flock in. From here, the addiction starts to grow. 

So, now that I've successfully added myself to the list of total dorks, I am off to build another empire. 

Hail to me!!!

Brain Cave

My brain has felt like it is in a cave lately. Maybe it is the freezing, snowy, dreary weather, but I am SO ready for Spring. Needless to say this cave-brain has put me in somewhat of a blog hiatus. I do apologize since I am sure you are dying to know what I've been up to for the past week. In a nutshell - nothing too spectacular. We got snowed in last weekend and consequently suffered from some serious cabin fever...I'm pretty sure Brian didn't shower for 3 days straight. Something about snow just makes people act like neanderthals.
Another snowy front came through Richmond this weekend but I was out of town for work so I didn't have to suffer through another bout with the dreaded fever o'cabin. This wintry weather has put a major damper on my plans for our dresser. I really wanted to get it transformed so I can FINALLY reveal our bedroom makeover, but the idea of toiling away in a freezing cold basement just makes me want to cry. I promise I'll get that baby done before 2011...

In other news, here are a few things I think you should know about (if you are female, for the most part). First up...

Seriously, this is the BEST and cheapest mascara ever made. I've tried various expensive brands but just keep on coming back to the good ole 80's pink and green. It never clumps, it goes on normally, and it is just plain awesome. And you can't really beat the $4 price tag.

I've always been a fan of the smell of Herbal Essences products. However, I'm usually pretty skeptical about using cheap shampoo on my annoyingly challenging hair. That is, until I found Drama Clean. For some reason Brian bought the shampoo for himself. I decided to use it one day and I was completely blown away. It actually DID WHAT IT SAID IT WOULD DO!!! My hair felt so wonderfully clean. Forget dumping vinegar on my head to rid it of oil. Drama Clean is all I need. Not to shabby!

I've read about the joys and wonders of Cargo Blu-Ray products on other blogs, so I decided to try it out for myself. Again, pretty awesome stuff. I bought the pressed powder at Sephora for HALF OFF. Yes, all Cargo products are HALF OFF at Sephora. I don't mind spending a bit more $$ on make-up since I rarely buy it and I like it to be long-lasting and high-quality and this would have originally been somewhere in the realm of $30 a pop. I was almost willing to pay that when I realized that the whole Cargo section was HALF OFF. Talk about good luck.

Anyone use these products and agree (or disagree!) with me?

Danger, Canyons Ahead

Time for a repost of a lovely (and horrifyingly scary) part of my life...

This is the story of  the craziest/scariest/most dangerous/most ridiculous thing I have ever done. I got a bloody nose, a horrid concussion, a massive bruise, a messed up shoulder, and a lot of grief from my mom.

And what exactly was this terrifying event? Drum roll please…CANYONING.  Here is a Wikipedia blurb to give you a little bit more info about what exactly that means: “Canyons that are ideal for canyoning are often cut into the bedrock stone, forming narrow gorges with numerous drops, beautifully sculpted walls, and sometimes spectacular waterfalls. Canyoning gear includes climbing hardware, static ropes, helmets, wetsuits, and specially designed shoes, packs, and rope bags.” Basically canyoning involves descending a river or stream that cuts through rock to form a canyon. There is no way out of a canyon other than DOWN or via an airlift helicopter.

Any why would I put myself through such torture? I like to chalk it up to pure and innocent ignorance. Basically I had no idea what I was getting into. Here is a teaser photo just to get the story going…

Yes, that is me jumping off a waterfall. Totally freaking out.

In September 2007 I took a delightful and once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe all by my lonesome. Just me, lots of travel books, a plan, a Eurail Pass, and the extreme need to just see it all. I can’t really put the fabulousness of that trip into words, but I would kill for the opportunity to do it again. Anywho, one of my favorite stops on the trip was Interlocken, Switzerland, the adventure mecca of Europe. Not only was the scenery AH-MAY-ZING…

See?!

…the opportunity for extreme adventure also got me hooked on all things Swiss. I managed to meet a small  group of Australians also staying in my *sweet* hostel (Balmers Herberge) and we quickly became friends. These three guys were traveling around Europe to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of one of the mates and they were keen to throw some adventure into the trip (like my use of Aussie lingo on that one?!). Over drinks one evening, we they managed to get hooked on an “infomercial” playing on the closed circuit television in the bar. In this ad, happy looking 20-somethings were shown leaping off miniature waterfalls, swimming around in rock pools, and cheerfully laughing at themselves in ridiculous wetsuits. All the while surrounded by the splendor of the Swiss Alps. The tag line of the ad encouraged backpackers to try out this activity, canyoning, as it was suitable for people of all levels of athleticism. The Aussies were instantly sold but I was still itching to try ice climbing. The next day we ended up looking into canyoning a bit more and I found out that ice climbing was cancelled due to non-ideal conditions. Thanks to this change in my plans, I ended up telling the Aussies to go ahead and sign me up for their canyoning trip. Unbeknownst to me however, they signed up for the EXTREMEINTENSEINSANECRAZYHARDRIDICULOUS trip…the trip NOT for the faint of heart, the trip that required a high level of athleticism, NOT the trip we saw on TV. Here is the blurb from the website:

Chli Schliere
The most thrilling extreme canyoning in Switerland. This canyon offers a series of 10 meter high jumps, vertical and corkscrew natural water slides.

• Only for very fit, sporty or experienced canyoners!
• Duration - 6 Std
• Age limit 18 years & over
• Start Times 8.15
• Price sFr. 185 .- P.p

Of course, I didn’t realize this until 6am the next morning when we all met to leave for the trip and I was the ONLY girl signed up. The trip leaders looked at me like I was insane but I tried to play it off like I was actually prepared. In all actuality I had NO CLUE why this trip was deemed more intense and professional than the one on tv, but I was soon to find out.

We arrived at the top of a mountain (literally) after driving through Switerland for almost an hour. At this point the guides briefed us to let us know that the trip would last approximately 4 hours (!!! I almost died) and that once we started we could not turn back. The only way out was to jump our way from waterfall to waterfall or be helicoptered out for an emergency rescue. Oh and also people had died canyoning before thanks to flashfloods that got them trapped in the canyon walls (hence the panic I got from my mom when she found out that I had skipped ice climbing in favor of a death swim). Oh lovely day.

Anyways, the rest of the story can be explained in pictures. I ended up surviving but got pretty beat up (i.e. a concussion and a bloody nose). After the whole debacle I had planned to take a train up a mountain to stay at the highest hostel in all of Europe. I managed to make it halfway up the mountain and then ended up stumbling around a tiny village looking for a place to stay. I was so concussed that I thought I was going to die. I managed to find a tiny inn and got a really nice room thanks to my utterly pitiful request for help. And then I slept for 14 hours straight.

Here we go…(our helmets had names so they could identify us. I am SEXY…annoying I know)

Completely and utterly terrified. I'm 4th from the left.

Hands up to avoid hitting the rockwall with my face. Now is also a good time to mention that we had a photographer a long with us. Part of the perks of doing the death swim.

Jump. Slam back against rock wall. Avoid landing on rock face. Land in tiny pool the size of a tire.

They MADE me to a flip off this canyon. 

And then I smacked my face and got a nosebleed and a concussion. Yes that is blood all over my face.

The rest of the jumps are a daze. I was concussed and totally running on adrenaline. A very weird kind of out of body experience.

Perspective. One of the "medium-high" jumps. Uggg scary. 

I don't mesh well with water. I had to hold my nose for basically every jump. I kind of forgot how to breathe.

Looking back I guess I had a good time. I mean it is cool to be able to say that I did that but I would NEVER do it again. So if you are ever in the Interlocken area be sure to check outhttp://www.swissalpineguides.ch/ if you dare...