"Raptors, Run!"

There's a fitness app called "Zombies, Run!"  
But my phone is decrepit and refuses to support it,
so I made my own version
with dinosaurs.


MP3 DOWNLOAD

You are journeying as a private volunteer for D.I.E.T.I.D.E.
Department of Investigative Exploration of Time and Inter-Dimensional Eras
when your Rover has a little bit of a hiccup in the Cretaceous Period.
But don't worry, if you follow the voice of your Guide,
you'll make it to a spare jeep without getting toothed by a T-Rex.
...Or any other dino.

Warm-Up (2:40)
"Time" by Antaeus
"Clear Blue Water" by Oceanlab

Running (29:50)
"The Signal" by Bear McCreary
"This Dark and Twisty Road" by Abney Park
"Roslin Escapes" by Bear McCreary
"Just Scarecrows to War" by BBC National Orchestra of Wales
"Evolution of the Daleks" by BBC National Orchestra of Wales
"The End of Days" by Abney Park
"Bushido" by Brand X Music
"Forgotten World" by Brand X Music
"The Doctor's Theme" by Murray Gold
"Exotica" by Brand X Music
"Flight Through Jerusalem" by Jesper Kyd
"503" by Hans Zimmer
"Gaeta's Lament (Instrumental)" by Bear McCreary
"Dethroned" by X-Ray Dog
"Titan Dune" by Two Steps From Hell
"Dragon's Breath" by Brand X Music

Cool-Down (1:38)
"A Future for the Krogan" by Clint Mansell
"Grand Old Lady" by Bear McCreary

Total (34:08)



This was an incredibly engaging project,
from music selection to scripting to voicing to improvising.
And, most importantly,
this will help keep my interest in running.
Give it a download and try the adventure for yourself! 

{music credited above and © respective owners}

{"A Bad Day" © Pygar}

{Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus Rex © Steven Spielberg}

"3K Marathon Race"

"For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories." -Plato

My students ran a marathon
around the harvested rice fields
outside the school grounds.

The morning sun stretched out to
warm the rocks we rested on
and bathe our sleepy faces.

They all worked so hard

and ran such a long way.

And what better way to celebrate
a successful marathon
than by snarfing six
strawberry mochi balls.
Food of champions.

{Music via Ginger Ninja}

"Heads or Tails?"

"What're the two things they tell you are healthiest to eat? Chicken and fish. You know what you should do? Combine them... eat a penguin." -Dave Attell

Fantastic food encounters as of late.

I had no idea how important
drinking parties in Japan are,
how the people bond
as they drink themselves under the table
holding hands
and singing karaoke.
{Not that I've actually witnessed that.}

My first time eating a fish fin.
It tasted like a chip.
{Not a British french fry.}

I was too chicken (ha ha) to eat the cheek, though.

Or the eyeball.

Just... no, please.

Lovely goma-dango balls.

By the way,
though I am consuming all these
rich, cultural foods,
I am remembering my health as well.

Just today, I started learning the hula
via YouTube.
And I bought some running shoes
and use them.
I'm so glad Bryn isn't shallow.
... I don't think I could give up Japanese bakeries for good.

{Music via Joe Hisaishi}

"I Was Never Much of a Chef"

... not like my mama, anyways.

But I've discovered something here in Japan:

making up your own recipes is really fun.

{And it sure keeps yer pocketbook lookin' healthy.}

"Cheese-Please Rice Bowl"

+ white rice

+ daikon {Japanese radish}

+ mild cheddar cheese

+ baby mushrooms

+ fresh broccoli

+ renkon {Japanese lotus root}

+ brown egg

Do you have recipes of your own?

If so, I'd love to try them!

"This May Sound Crazy, But..."

When I use floss,

I remember you saying,

"Oh, you're one of those people",

meaning I use too much of it.

And I can't help but smile.

:)

When I watch the schoolboys pedal

their girlfriends around on bicycles,

I remember you picking me up on a Wednesday,

driving me to the mountains to walk my dog

and watch the sun go to sleep.

And when I have nights like last night,

when the toilet is my pillow

and stomach juices scorch my throat,

I think of you putting a washcloth on my forehead

and stroking my hair.

And it's enough to put me back to sleep,

just like that drowsy sun

when we walked my dog in the mountains together

on a Wednesday.

"On Being Sick in a Foreign Country"

"'tis healthy to be sick sometimes." -Henry David Thoreau

I've filled an entire trash can with tissues.

Gross.

But atleast this gives me time to clean my apartment.

{In between naps, of course.}

Golly.

I was the first to get culture shock,

and the first to get sick in our little group of interns.

{I hope I'm the last.}

But, if someone else does get sick

in either way,

Atleast I know how to comfort them now. ♥

{Image via Frederik}

"I Thought I'd LOSE My Belly, But Now..."

We're dropping like flies.

One by one, interns are checking out of the hotel

and moving into their apartments.

Today, I received my address,

and guess what?

I live in "the chocolate" apartment.

No, seriously, it's called, "Lechocolat" {one word}.

I'm pretty stoked.

Anyhow, the teachers took the remaining interns

{and me}

out to lunch today.

And after lunch, we had a little fieldtrip.

Warning: the movie may contain some disturbing images

such as foods you wouldn't buy from your typical American grocer.

{I still don't like tentacles passing my lips.}

Also, a more correct translation of the fish sign

is "Japan's recommended fish".

Apologies. I'm still a gaijin.

After the grocery store, we sashayed to the bakery.

{Okay, we just walked. But "sashaying" is more awesome.}

Can you not TASTE the flavor of the crunch

just by looking at this picture??

I'm salivating.

{*wipe*}

My tongue has something to say about all this:

Oh, cousin called Belly,

thou dost sit below me

and, therefore, am ruled by me.

And I sayest thou art quite capable

of digesting such delectable breads.

If thou art opposed to this, thou canst suck it.

Thou dost bubble in thine own juices for pete's sake.

Thou art PWND.

And here's your daily dose of Engrish.

May your face be smiley and peaceful always.

"Yeah, it's Broken"

"If it isn't 'baroque', don't fix it!" -Cogsworth (Beauty and the Beast)

Well, m'dears, the 20-year streak of "no broken bones" has come to a tragic end.

The epic story:

I was strolling with Raine in the park and came across the swing-set we routinely see.

Rather than continue walking {as I normally do}, I skipped over to it.

Once seated, I kicked my legs, swinging up higher and higher, before closing my eyes and leaning back to enjoy the rush of wind through my hair... when the seat collapsed beneath me.

My hands instinctively held tighter to the chains as I smacked the sand.

My eyes blinked open and my hands uncurled from the chains.

I was stunned; it happened so quickly.

Later, mom asked me what I did after I hit the ground.

"Well, no more cookies for me."

"What?" she asked, puzzled.

"The first thing I did was say, 'no more cookies for me'. The seat snapped," I replied.

{For the record, the seat didn't break; it unhooked. Dad was able to fix it in a matter of seconds.}

At first, all of my fingers {excluding my thumbs} wouldn't straighten. They throbbed.

I tried to rub some of them and noticed something sticky smearing on my skin.

I turned my hand over, seeing blood drip from a gash in one of my right fingers.

But only one finger was really broken. {Psst, it's the lumpy, bandaged one in the picture.}

Mom was cracking up at the doctor's office that I kept "flipping off" my P.A.

She's so silly. :)

"True Love"

{Image via Smitten Kitchen}

"There is a peculiar burning odor in the room, like explosives. The kitchen fills with smoke and the hot, sweet, ashy smell of scorched cookies. The war has begun." -Alison Lurie

Bryn is more than okay with me being podgy.

I stay this way because I eat cookies.

And cookies are a part of joy and happiness.

And this picture is a lie, because I can't stand nuts in my cookies.
But it was such a lovely photo, I had to use it.

You're the chocolate chip to my oatmeal cookie, sweetie.

Love you. xoxo

"Drinking Chalk"

"A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths."

-Steven Wright

Whenever I drink my protein shakes, I have to tell myself I'm drinking chocolate milk. Otherwise, I'll pour it down the drain.

I hate you, chalky goo.

"The Epic Day of August 1, 2009"

"Is that, like, an ammo gun or something?" -Ashley S. Harmon

We create drama.

Well, atleast, I do. *cheesy smile*

It's enthralling to take an event as simple as hiking the PG waterfalls and turn it into something extraordinary. Or, if not extraordinary, then atleast more exciting to watch.

The hike is gorgeous, by the way.

"A Walk in Spring Rain"

"It's spring fever... And when you've got it, you want--oh, you don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" -Mark Twain

I took a walk in the rain with my Raine. She and I have a favorite spot we go to that's beautiful all year round. In the summer, it's lush with green. In the autumn, it's colored by leaves. In the winter, it's frozen like art. In the spring... it blooms.

Anyway, here's a silly video I made of clips I took up there. I apologize for the quality; I shot everything on my phone using a "night camera" feature because dusk was settling in (and the feature made it extraordinarily blurry as I moved.)

It's absolutely wonderful to take evening walks in the rain. I love this spot for more reasons than I'll admit. And I believe I'll take my engagement photos here one day.

"Midnight E.R. Adventure"

"Given the choice between pain and nothing, I would choose pain." -William Faulkner

On May 8th, at approximately 12:30 a.m., I phoned my father to complain about some rather pressing pains in my torso section. He, being the selfless daddy he is, drove to my apartment and sat at my bedside. After looking up possible reasons why I was hurting (using my laptop,) we finally left for the hospital. What happened next was quite the experience...

The Pineapple Lady

• The receptionist who checked me in and gave me my hospital bracelet.
  
• She related to my stomachache with a story of when she got sick eating too much pineapple. She was very sweet (just like pineapple! Har har...)

The Pink Lady

• The woman who gave me an IV in my hand. She was very understanding of my fear of needles and soothed me as best she could. (She wore pink scrubs, hence my name for her.)
  
• I went into a panic attack when she punctured the skin, jerked to the side (pulling out the IV) and threw up in a little pink basin my dad was holding for me.
  
• Redid the IV in my wrist.

The M.D.

• A kindly gentleman who used his fingers to press down on my tummy and locate the main concentration of the pain (ouch.)

The CAT Man

• A middle-aged man who told me to raise my arms above my head and listen to the machine's instructions for a CT scan ("take a breath in and hold it"; "you may now breathe normally.")
  
• Administered a second CT scan upon the Radiologist's request. This one included an IV and an enema. He began with the enema first, telling me it would make me feel full, just like a Thanksgiving dinner.
  
• The enema pushed so much fluid into me, it easily became the #1 on my "What Hurt The Worst" list that night. I threw up all over the CT machine.
  
• He got me a fresh blanket (when I threw up, the enema came out and soaked me and the table) and applied the IV.
  
• By this time, I was more ready for the enema (I don't think anyone can ever be fully ready for an enema.) With the IV distracting me (it made my body feel like it was on fire,) the man was able to redo the enema and successfully take the second CT scan.

The Radiologist

• Couldn't read the first CT scan, and gave the "go" for a second one.
  
• I never actually got to meet him.

The Stats Lady

• The woman who came in my room in between tests and filed the rest of my information on the computer. (Dad had to answer her questions, as I was a little swollen and pretty "out of commission" by then.)

The Youngin'

• The girl who gave me an ultrasound.
• Dad said her name was Maegan and that she looked around my age. All I remember about her is her brown hair and glasses, and that she asked me about my AIDA shirt, which was then covered in enema fluid and ultrasound jelly.

Steve

• My favorite person at the hospital (though everybody was very sweet to me.) He had braces and was lightly sarcastic, continually joking and never taking anything too seriously. (When I was being discharged, I asked him to take out my IV, and he said he had to leave it in for 5-6 days. I didn't realize he was kidding at first.)
• He was the nurse who administered my IV medicine (something for nausea, and 12 mg [3 doses] of morphine for pain.)

We left undiagnosed with a packet of Lortab and a few sheets of paper explaining what the conditions should be if I needed to return. Since then, I've slept in my folks' cozy bed, thrown up only a few more times, and am now making my way back to a full 100%. A thousand apologies to my mother for waiting until she was out of town before getting so sick, and a million "thank you's" to my father for giving up his sleep and taking care of me, telling me jokes to take my mind off the pain, and letting me squeeze his hand when it was all just too much.

"An Analyzation"

(Image copyright Allison Vanderveen)

"Now, as ridiculous as some things may sound, there comes a time of desperation, when no one's looking, that you WILL give the ridiculous a try." -Bill Cosby

This was originally going to be a "check up" post about how my health plan is coming along. I'm feeling a little low, however, as I have been sick for a few days now.

..Current Stats..

HEALTH: Declining.

WEIGHT: Stubborn.

HAIR: Stringy.

EYES: Watery.

SKIN: Dry.

SANITY: Absent.

Well... That's not too promising. I shall pray this head-cold nips itself in the bud and dies. Yesterday. :)

"Sugar n' Spice"

"No one can arrive from being talented alone; work transforms talent into genius." -Anna Pavlova

SUGAR:

Another recipe mastered! Sugar cookies are curious little devils; even though they look like they're not cooked all the way, if you leave them in until they look ready, they'll burn. My first batch turned out... not so great. But the second batch was astonishingly delicious! (Not that I ate the whole batch, or anything... *sly grin*)

SPICE:

I'm working on an a cappella version of "Sally's Song" (from The Nightmare Before Christmas.) The structures I'm working on are:

1. Alto range

2. Perfect pitch

3. "Gruff" or "husky" voice (I've been trained to make my voice sound "sweet", so this'll be fun!)

Here's a clippit of a rough run (definitely not the final version.) Any coaching points you can think of would be appreciated. It's hard to make a single-range a cappella demo exciting!

"Hiking, as Related to Life"

"There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle, sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. It ain't about how fast I get there. It ain't about what's waitin' on the other side. It's the climb." -"The Climb" (Miley Cyrus)

Yes, it's foolish, but I did it. Everybody I asked to come with me was busy, and I've really become tired of wasting away in my apartment on the weekends. So... I filled up an old water-bottle Bryn gave me, donned a light jacket, and headed for the hills. Once there, I was a little intimidated (I was using the clear, starry sky as a flashlight,) but I girded up my loins and attacked the beginning of the "Y" trail.

About halfway up, I wanted to turn back. I'm no stranger to hiking steep inclines, but for some reason, this hike has given me as basket full o' troubles in the past.

I stuck with it after all, and was rewarded with this spectacular sight of Provo city at night:

(Photo taken from my cell phone. Sorry for the bad quality.)

There'd been an instance like this before, when I'd hiked Mount Timpanogos for the first time. It'd been with Bryn and his adventurous family, and I'd felt rather pathetic for constantly stumbling behind and dragging him away from his brothers n' sisters in the process. When we finally made it to "The Saddle", I threw myself down near a pile of rocks and cracked a smile, sweat beading down my face. I'd finally made it. And Bryn let me believe that I had... until after lunch.

"You've got to be joking." I couldn't believe it: there was still more. Bryn informed me we hadn't really reached "the top" yet, that there was still about an hour left of hiking to do. I shook my head and told him to go on without me. There was no way I was going any further. But some part of me wasn't satisfied with where I was; I itched to press on and reach new heights.

It was hard, and I fell alot. But Bryn was always behind me, pushing me on, stopping when I needed to breathe, and going in front of me to pull my ragged body up "the steep parts". When we finally made it to the top, I leaned against a massive rock and laughed a little deliriously: "We made it. We finally made it, Bryn." He just smiled up at me and gave my calves an all-too-welcome massage.

The last stretch was the hardest part, and my heart was only invested in it half the time. But with the help of a patient friend, and the determination to reach the real top (not the "counterfeit" one,) I made it; I reached the top.

"4 New Recipes: Mastered!"

"If a pot is cooking, the friendship will stay warm." -Arab Proverb

On my quest to become domesticated, I've been tackling my greatest weakness: Cooking. Seeing as my mother is a renowned cook, I've always felt a little sheepish that I couldn't follow in her footsteps. I was "renowned" for undercooking, burning, and even forgetting ingredients. Now, I think it's time I stepped up to the plate and hit this sucker-ball right outta the park.**

New Recipe #1: "Smothered Chicken"

(Image copyright Pampered Chef)

New Recipe #2: "Mashed Potatoes"

(Image copyright ninjabread.wordpress.com)

New Recipe #3: "Dessert Pizza"

(Image copyright wheatfoods.org)

New Recipe #4: "Peanut Butter Cookies"

(Image copyright bettycrocker.com)

Alright, so these aren't too difficult to master, but for me, these are huge leaps toward success. And you know what? They were kinda fun to make. Maybe I'll make a functional wife someday after all.

**No testers were harmed during these experiments.

"Twenty Months to Do Something Important"

"...stands out as if among a herd of cows someone placed a firmly-built horse with ringing hooves, a prize winner from winged dreams." -Alcman (7th century; chorus excerpt for Spartan women)

This time, I'm determined. We girls (and guys, as well) have all tried weight loss at one point in our lives. New Year's resolutions, summer diets, etc. Yet, one thing seems to be inevitable: we lose the water weight and perhaps a couple of fat pounds, but never anything significant. We get discouraged, busy, and wait until after the winter holidays to pick up the pieces and try again. I only have twenty months left before Elder Studly comes home. I need to finish this "single life" with a bang and have something to show for it.

Here's what I want to become in those twenty months:

• More Japanese-literate (i.e. a full-blown translator.)
• 6" smaller (horizontally, not vertically.)
• Cardio-healthy (i.e. I can climb Mt. Timpanogos at a regular, healthy pace.)

Not too ambitious for twenty months! It'd be ridiculous if I tried to do this in only three or four months. I'll be patient and leave room for mistakes, but ultimately, I will achieve those goals. Good luck to me! がんばれ！