The Quest for #1: Help Wanted!

Thanks to the very handy internet countdown clock feature (which I have been using overzealously lately for my graduation date -- 104 days, boom!) I know that I've got 52 days until I register for the Marine Corps Marathon and 287 days to actually get ready to run it. NBD.

So, I've run 2 half marathons before, but even though I joke that those combined equals a full marathon, I fully appreciate (and have heard from many people) that training for and running a full marathon -- all 26.2 miles at once -- is a lot different. I've been running a few miles on the treadmill a 3-4 days a week to ease into an actual training routine, cross-training with spinning, and doing some weight training (I AM SUCH A JOCK!). But I really need some inspiration and suggestions because lately I've been feeling like running 4 miles is great, but HOLY CRAP I HAVE TO RUN A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN THAT.

Since it's in my nature to obsessively prepare for things, and since I know a lot of you are runners, I figured I'd seek out some advice here. Any and every piece of advice/nuggets of wisdom you have, I'd totally appreciate. Of particular interest are these topics:

• I need new running shoes. I'm planning to go to a fancypants running store in Ann Arbor to get fitted in the next few days, but would love to go in armed with some knowledge bombs. I used to wear Adidas running shoes that I loved, then got a new pair (same shoe though) and they gave me terrible blisters.
• I also need a new pair of headphones for running. The ones I have bounce out of my ears and really squash the rush I get from my sweet jams. Any recommendations?
• Have you run a marathon before? Did sticking to a particular training schedule help?
• Was it helpful to do other races during the training period? I'm thinking about a 10k in April and a half-marathon maybe in July.
• Have you ever worn those FiveFingers running things with the toes? I don't think I'm interested, but I'm extremely curious because they look like the equivalent of a very uncomfortable toe wedgie.
• Running music! I like my beats quick 'n heavy and my lyrics vaguely unintelligible (see: Rihanna's "we fell in love in an office space"). Any suggestions?

So if you have a moment and any pearls of wisdom, email me, Facebook, send me a comment, a text, carrier pigeon, message in a bottle, sky writing, whatever. 

#30: Officiate a wedding

They vested me power!

It all started in April. After one too many specialty cocktails made me wax nostalgic about love and friendship at our friend Courtney and Rich's gorgeous Florida wedding, I jokingly asked my friends Nick and Erica whyyyyy I hadn't been dispatched to make more speeches at our friends' weddings. I was throwing around words like "destiny", "cherish", and "a lifetime of happiness", things I rarely say non-ironically when not watching an episode of The Bachelor. I am clearly neither subtle nor eloquent when there's an open bar nearby.

Fast forward to late June. After attending a conference in Boston, I stayed through the weekend to visit the contingent of GW friends (+ significant others) who've settled there, including Nick and Erica. After an all-day pub crawl of the bars on Boston Harbor, we retired to their beautiful Beacon Hill apartment where, after inflating the Aerobed and rehashing the day, Nick and Erica asked me to officiate their wedding. Were they drunk? Were they joking? Or had what I said at Courtney and Rich's actually made them think I could handle this? They assured me they were indeed sober and serious.

Without hesitation, I said yes. I had no idea what to expect, but I think that was part of what made the idea so exciting. Over the next few months, we discussed loose plans for the ceremony: they gave me the general format (processional, welcome address, song, etc.) and sent me their vows and what they wanted to say when they exchanged rings, but with their blessing they let me otherwise take the reins and write the ceremony. Without their input. And they didn't want to hear it until the actual wedding. I think Joey Lawrence said it best on Blossom: whoahhhh.

So then school happened, and work, and life, and 4 other out-of-town weddings this fall. I did some light research -- emailing Nick and Erica's friends and family members for their input, writing down some choice quotes at other weddings, and soliciting scripts from friends who've also officiated -- but otherwise I put off writing the ceremony til after the semester was over. 

At home over winter break was when the panic really set in. I wrote furiously, then went back, edited, doubted, rewrote, and finally felt satisfied with the ceremony. But then, with more spare time on my hands, and the wedding just a couple weeks away, I started ruminating about the occasion. About the fact that my friends had enough confidence in me that they'd be willing to let me stand in front of them and everyone they know and love, and perform a marriage ceremony that they had never read or heard before and say words like "authority" and "vested" and then make them put on their wedding rings and then kiss and stuff. This...this was a big deal. 

HITCHED!

In fact, at the rehearsal dinner last Friday, I expressed these thoughts to Nick...how humbled and honored (and I don't throw those words around lightly) I was that they trusted me this much. He said how surprised he was that I didn't need any time to think about it after they first asked me in June, and I realized, as nervous as I was, I never for one second considered not doing it. That's the great thing about trust and friendship...when someone gives it to you, you just want to do the best and be the best that you possibly can, without thinking. And then, like now, I started getting all sappy and philosophical, except at the rehearsal dinner it was worse because once again, there was an open bar involved.

As for the actual wedding, it was amazing and personal and perfect and so Nick and Erica, from the song choices for the ceremony, to the slider bar set up during the reception (I still am thinking about those pulled pork sliders with cole slaw), to the beautiful and hilarious toasts, and to the groom's cake in the shape of a Boston Red Sox baseball hat.

And as fun as it was to get ready with Erica and her bridesmaids beforehand, to toast at midnight with all our friends, and dance and eat cake and celebrate, the thing I'll never forget came before the champagne bottles popped and the ball dropped. It came as I stood at the front of the room watching Nick watch Erica walk down the aisle, both of them having never looked happier, calmer and more at ease. I realized how lucky I was to be standing there, both literally and figuratively.

The ceremony itself went very well, eased immensely by the first joke I made where people actually laughed (and I, subsequently, relaxed). I think the calmness that Erica and Nick were radiating was contagious, because once we got into the rhythm of things, it felt really fun and easy. Quite a few guests asked me at the cocktail hour if I was planning on a second career as an officiant, and I told them that the joke's on them -- I don't have a FIRST career! So maybe, after I graduate in 113 days (but who's counting?), I'll throw caution to the wind, move to Vegas and open up a wedding chapel. Who knows, this Creverend act may have staying power.

What a crazy, memorable and awesome way to close out 2011 and start up 2012! I've had some pretty awesome New Year's Eves in my time, but this one takes the (key lime and raspberry Sox hat) cake. A huge thank you to Nick and Erica and their families for letting me be a part of their special day, and trusting me not to royally eff it up. And if you, dear readres, ever find yourself in need of some High Priestessing, you know where to reach me. I work for free (as long as there's an open bar involved). Happy New Year!

Pub crawling in Boston with the bride and groom.

#28: Bake and decorate a cake from scratch, including the icing.

I've heard a lot of people throw around words like "therapeutic" and "cathartic" to describe baking. But I've also seen enough Top Chef episodes where the cockiest award-winning chefs who've just whipped up crispy pork belly gremolatas with microgreen and conch fritter-scented foam reductions (those are words I've learned by watching cooking shows) are reduced to tears at the mere suggestion that they need to make a simple berry tart. 

I am nothing if not succinct.

Takeaway: baking is hard, yo! As a fan of "freestyle cooking" -- compile a bunch of ingredients that sound pretty good together, apply heat when necessary, then slather on condiments liberally -- the precise nature of baking has long scared me off. Don't get me wrong: I can whip up a Funfetti cake with the best of 'em. But up until this week, I'd never done any solo baking of the non-Pillsbury kind.

So basically, this 30 Before 30 item was a no-brainer to include: I've never done it before, it requires little planning beyond a special occasion and a trip to Meijer, and cake is straight-up delicious. So with winter graduation coming up, I decided to bake a cake to celebrate with the "Dip Party" ladies, three of whom will be MSWs in mere days. (Yes, we have parties involving dips, and lots and lots of wine, and they are amazing.)

I scoured the Internet (read: Pinterest) for recipes, and settled on a blue (not red) velvet cake with a maize cream cheese frosting. Yeah, my school spirit runs deep. There were lots of recipe variations, so I picked the one that was accompanied by the most delicious-looking photographs from Bakerella. I made my list, trekked around the store procuring the ingredients, picked out some pretty killer 9-inch round cake pans in the kitchen section, lamented about how being an adult must mean getting that jazzed about new cake pans, remembered that I had also bought, but not really worn, an awesome new ruffle-y apron a few months ago, again lamented my now apron-induced adulthood excitement, and then went to sleep. It was a big night.

Fast forward to the actual baking of the cake, which surprisingly wasn't too bad. Take that, Top Chefs! Several coworkers had suggested sifting both the all-purpose flour (for the cake) and the confectioners sugar (for the frosting) before measuring it out, because that can often yield different measurements. I must say, I felt VERY Martha Stewart-y sifting the flour. The cake recipe suggested that, after filling the cake pans with the mix, I drop them several times onto the counter to remove any air bubbles. This was probably my favorite part of the process, as it was very loud and stress-releasing and it really did pull out a bunch of the bubbles. The cakes baked for about 35 minutes, and then cooled for a bunch of hours before I dared frost them. Meanwhile, the smell of freshly-baked cake permeating my apartment was really sensational, and probably enough reason to continue any baking endeavors.

Making the frosting was slightly more difficult, due mostly to my janky handheld mixer that I'm pretty sure my junior year roommate accidentally left in our apartment when she moved out. I had let the butter and cream cheese reach room temperature for most of the day, so they combined well, but the mixer plus the powdered sugar made me rull glad I had an apron on, because that shit went everywhere. Seriously, my kitchen looked like an outtake from the movie Blow.


Eventually I gave up on the mixer, made like Ice Cube and put my back into it, hand-mixing my own frosting and adding the yellow dye until it was the maize-iest shade of maize I'd ever seen. I frosted the middle layer, then the top and sides with not much trouble, aside from wishing I had a cake stand. I used the blue decorative frosting I'd bought at the store (the only non-homemade part of the cake) along with some blue sprinkles that were kicking around my spice cabinet and badda bing...a cake was born!

I am grateful to the lovely graduates -- Kate, Sara and Carryn -- and other celebrants -- Renee, Jodi and Valentina -- for indulging in the "look at the caaaaaake, you guyyyyssss" requests that were both annoying and inevitable, and for joining me to eat, drink and celebrate the end of the semester and, for some of us, the end of graduate school. And the bonus was, the cake itself turned out great, if I do say so myself...it was moist (yeah, I know you hate that word) and flavorful, and the frosting was creamy (yeah, I hate that word) and rich. 

So while I'll always love a Funfetti, I think we all agreed that there really is nothing like the taste of a homemade cake. And to actually successfully pull together a pretty delicious cake from scratch...well, that tastes pretty darn good too. Nom nom nom.

Yay graduates!

#22: Try speed dating, and then laugh about it after over cocktails with friends.

I'm a pretty busy lady.


I'm a grad student, which means I've got classes and my internship. I have assorted readings, papers, meetings and group projects for said classes. I've also got a job. And awesome friends with whom I love hanging out. Plus I have a Netflix subscription, a gym membership, a DVR teeming with trashy reality shows that I never seem to have enough time to watch, and a near-perfect tomato basil soup recipe that still needs some minor tweaking. 


Like most busy people, I enjoy convenience. So speed dating seemed like something I should give a shot: meet 25 single guys in one evening, talk to them for 4 minutes each, and then decide who you'd be willing to exchange contact information with. It's something I've heard of (and seen hilariously -- and uncomfortably -- depicted in various movies and TV shows) but have never actually tried; hence, its place on my 30 Before 30 list. My fabulous friend Renee (who suggested I start this list in the first place!) forwarded me a grad student speed dating email a couple weeks ago, and we agreed to sign up. Let the awkwardness begin!


I would say this experience landed somewhere on the border between really fun and uncomfortably weird. It took place at a bar, which was crucial because it meant we could have a beer -- or a Makers on the rocks, in my case -- before (and during) to keep it loose. It was in a side room at the bar, which meant no spectators, aside from the wait staff who seemed to really get a kick out of eavesdropping on some awkward conversations. In addition to Renee, my lovely new friends Anne and Caroline also joined, and let's be real here: dating can be awkward, so having friends there makes it much better.


The way it worked was pretty simple...I had a name tag and a number, and so did everyone else, plus a sheet where we were supposed to write who we spoke to and columns for "yes" or "no" depending on our interest level. The girls got to sit in the same seats, and the guys moved table to table, down the line, every 4 minutes. It had the effect of a sort of conveyor belt of dudes. Sometimes I wished I could speed that belt up, and a couple times I wanted to pause it and talk a little longer. Generally speaking though, I'll give it up for the organizers' formula: 4 minutes seems like basically all you need to decide if you're interested in going out with someone.


As for the actual dudes on this conveyor belt...they were an impressive bunch: all grad students, lots in engineering, medicine and business, from what I could tell. "What program are you in?" seemed like the safe question to start out with, along with small-talk favorites like "Where are you from?" and "What are your hobbies?" I did have someone ask me if I had hobbies, to which I initially replied "Nope". He didn't seem to appreciate my sarcasm, which for me is the quickest way to a check mark in the "no" column. One guy asked me if I could be a part of any TV show, what it would be. My quick response -- Seinfeld -- elicited a "wow, going old school there!" comment. Which brings me to my next point: there were a lot of guys who looked like they'd juuuuuuust gotten bar mitzvahed, which made me feel like a straight-up cougar. Are we seriously living in a day when Seinfeld could be considered old school? Overall though, everyone was really nice, and though 100 minutes of straight small talk was definitely fatiguing, it was a fun experience.


And keeping true to this list item's full description, after the event ended a little before midnight, we hustled to Bar Louie for a cocktail (and $1 burgers) to decompress and debrief. I think I speak for all of us when I say that it was definitely a worthwhile experience; nothing may come of it, but I'm not sure any of us expected that anyway. It's just always a good feeling to blow off your homework and sneak out of your school bubble for one night to meet some new people.


And even more importantly, it's always good to remember that even if you're busy -- which let's face it, we all are -- it's worth it to make time for a fun night with good friends.

Off-List Item #4: Rush the Field at the Big House

What has 2 thumbs and loves Fitzgerald Toussaint?

I love sports rivalries. 


I talk about the movie Miracle more than any normal human being should. Plus, I'm a Red Sox fan. I'm a UNC fan. And I'm a Michigan fan. As such, the Yankees, Duke and Ohio State rank among my more disliked sports teams; that said, I have many friends who fall on the opposite side of this rivalry, and I like to think it gives our friendship an edge. Spice. Flavor. Okay, now I'm just getting hungry.


Anyway, this past Saturday not only marked the last of my home games as a Michigan student, but arguably the biggest game I've attended yet: Michigan vs. Ohio State, at the Big House. Michigan hadn't beaten OSU since 2003, and on top of that, I had done a LOT of shit talking to my Ohio State friends in the previous weeks. We needed this win.


And we got it! With 114,132 people in attendance, Michigan beat Ohio State 40-34. The Michigan-Notre Dame night game this past September had a vibe I'd never experienced before, but this game definitely topped it...the feeling was just electric. I know that sounds super corny, but it's true. And best of all, there were no overt acts of violence (at least that I saw). Despite the fact that we'd booed and heckled every stranger in scarlet since 8am that morning, overall it was a good-natured, exciting and ridiculously fun experience.


Without a doubt, the most memorable part was after the game ended. From our rows in the high 60s, we saw people moving out onto the field after the game. At first we thought it was just everyone on the team, but then we realized it was everyone. And if you can't rush the field after a win like this, then when can you? So Kate, Renee and I pushed forward...

That's a lot of Wolverines, yo.

I use the term "rush the field" really, REALLY loosely. It was more like a slow trudging down the steps, stopping to high five random strangers, then moving a little more slowly as you tried not to get trampled and/or jammed in the leg by bleachers. The people moving in the opposite direction, trying to get out of the stadium, also really cramped our style.


Finally we made it to the field, where a lot of general revelry occurred. I'm pretty sure just about the second we got down to the field was when the announcer started first suggesting, then asking, then outright demanding that we all remove ourselves from the stadium. We took a ton of pictures first, and laid down on the turf, and I harassed a trombone player for a photograph (the Michigan Marching Band ranks very high on my "things I'm obsessed with" list). The only thing that could have made it better is if Denard himself had set us up a picnic of cold beer and hot dogs on the 50 yard line right after the big win.


I'm sure I'll come back for at least a game next year, and probably (hopefully) many, many years beyond that. But I really don't know if anything could top this. What a truly fantastic way to end a fantastic season. GO BLUE!


Oh, and as a side note: Michigan totally won the Blood Battle too. BOOM.

Friends on the field.