Non Sequitur Box

Egg White, Spinach, and Feta Cheese Sandwich Recipe Ingredients : 1 English muffin, cut in half 3 TBS egg whites 2 tsp basil pesto small handful of spinach, torn into smaller pieces 1 TBS sundried tomatoes 1 TBS feta cheese 1. Put the egg whites, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and feta cheese in a bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, until egg whites are done. 2. Meanwhile, put the English muffin in the toaster until you get the toast you like (I prefer medium to well-toasted). Spread the basil pesto on one side of the English muffin 3. Place the egg mixture on top of the muffin mixture. Combine halves to make a breakfast sandwich! I know this isn't very complicated, but I hope I gave some of you ideas! I love making this sandwich for fast fuel. I get a mix of protein (egg whites), fat (cheese and oil from sundried tomatoes), and carbs (vegetables, bread). You can leave this off bread or use a wrap instead. What inspired this? Starbucks has a delicious Spinach a...

As the Boston Marathon approaches, my heart races faster and faster with excitement. My mind is punching numbers and trying to figure out how I'm going to run this race. First, I looked back on my previous marathons. 2007 Marine Corps Marathon: 3:19:12 (ran a 6k two days before) 2009 Boston Marathon: 3:10:58 2011 Marine Corps Marathon: 3:11:12 2012 Shamrock Marathon: 3:20:40 For my first two marathons, I was running track in college. This covered my speed work. All I had to do was increase my long run. I just wanted to not stop for my first marathon, and I finished in a decent time. I definitely started out too fast, but I was happy. For Boston 2009, I did all my long runs at 2 hours, coming back faster, and one final 2:30-3:00 long run. Speed work was covered by 10k track work. For Marine Corps 2011, I was recovering from an eating disorder and doing speed work and long runs with my ex-boyfriend. We were racing...and I won by a few seconds. I was cold the entire way. I ...

This post is a little embarrassing, but I think it's a funny learning lesson...in hindsight. Once upon a time, I was given a task. At the end of this task I had to give a measurement in "mils." Me, having never worked in a lab or with science or engineering in the real world (college was a few years ago, and I was more focused on the military than my studies), thought perhaps this meant "millimeters." The man who asked me this is a very smart man. Sometimes I felt like he asked questions he knew the answers to in order to test me. He can do math in his head like a genius, so when he asked me to convert this millimeters into mils, I was baffled. What the %#*@ are mils?! An hour or so ago, I had sat down with my measurements, converting my inches to meters to millimeters. What where mils?! I told him I would figure out the "mils" and get back to him. It makes me nervous when he stares me down while I'm trying to do math in my head. This conver...

My friend Steph recommended to me  The Sweetness at the Bottom of a Pie : A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. I am glad I took her advice! I grew up reading Alfred Hitchcock, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I loved mysteries! This book is the first in a series of books by Alan Bradley. The series focuses on Flavia de Luce, an eleven year old girl with a love of chemistry and poisons. She is growing up in 1950's England with her two sisters and her father in a grand old mansion.  Flavia spends much of her time in her laboratory, in which I took tremendous delight, as I used to have my own chemistry set and microscope set growing up (best gift ever from Santa). I absolutely LOVED science. It fascinated me. Now that I work as a "scientist," in addition to Flavia's intelligence, I realize how little I know about chemistry (and science in general). I'm looking for some good courses to take for professional development now...just so Flavia can...

Sketch: Teddy Roosevelt. Click for larger image. I love going for destination runs or playful runs. Today I went for a run to Theodore Roosevelt Island between Rosslyn, VA and Georgetown, MD and Washington, DC. It can be reached from the Mount Vernon Trail in Virginia. On the island are some dirt trails, and in the middle is a massive statue of Teddy himself. I needed to see Teddy today. As I ran up, I realized I never read the quotes on the memorial. I stopped, waved hello to Teddy, and did 10 motivating burpees at his feet. It's my way of saying, "Damn. You are one motivating man!" After that, I took a few minutes to read the memorial stones. Here is what they read: NATURE There is delight in the hardy life of the open. (African Game Trails, 1910) There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm. (African Game Trails, 1910) The nation behaves well if it treats the natural res...

Here is another book for the month of March. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg discusses how habits are formed and how they can be changed. I sped through this book because I found the topic interesting. It almost reads like a self-help book at parts. It delves a little into the tactics of marketing and advertising, another topic I find intriguing. I enjoy finishing a book feeling as though I have learned something. Let me share with you some quotes and what I've learned. "...First there is a cue , a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Then there is the routine , which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward , which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future..." This is the basic habit loop. Cue - Routine - Reward. That's a pretty simple loop, but Duhigg gets into the loop deeper. It is not a one-si...

Dear Family and Friends, Thank you. Thank you for making me into a better runner than I ever thought possible. Without your support, guidance, or inspiration, I don't think I would be where I am today. I'm not sure if running would be such a big part of my life. I'm not sure if I would have the confidence I feel when I run. Mom and Dad , thank you for always supporting me. Thank you for buying me running shoes, bringing me to the podiatrist when I got injured, and letting me enter 5k's in high school. Although you both thought I wouldn't be a good runner after my first day of practice, you let me run. Thank you for coming to my races, putting up with my stinky smelly clothing, and making dinner. Thank you for driving me everywhere. Thank you for buying me my first workout log and my first watch. Thank you for the Gold's Gym membership that first summer when you didn't want me running alone in the summer heat. Thank you for doing some group cla...

The Police. Click for larger image. I present to you: The Police! Last night while we were playing Agricola, we were listening to music. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" came on, and I recalled memories of crushes I had on teachers. I had a crush on my high school cross-country/track coach/math teacher, my high school chemistry professor, and my college law professor. Jeff. Ron. Adam. Hahaha. I never acted on any of these crushes, but I definitely got called out for a few crushes. Anyways, today I decided to draw The Police and listen to The Very Best of Sting & The Police  for some enjoyment that is not related to working out. I try to work on that--finding non-working out activities that make me happy. I did get in an easy run this morning, and I have a strong 13.2 mile planned for tomorrow, so no worries about my health or fitness deteriorating this week.

The Adidas shoe making a buzz around the running community is the new Energy Boost. People have claimed the shoe actually gives them an advantage while running. Displays in stores allow you to drop two separate steel balls straight down on the Boost material and the more widely used EVA material (PU is another material used). Pause. EVA? Ethylene-vinyl acetate (a copolymer of 10-40% vinyl acetate and the rest ethylene). It's the material that is used in many shoes these days. In fact, it has a massive range of uses. Adidas even uses it to manufacture the Adidas Jabulani football/soccerball. EVA works well in low temperatures, is stress-crack resistant, and is UV radiation resistant. PU? Polyurethane. I've heard some old Adidas shoes and Ecco shoes use this material. I hate polyurethanes because they are made using an isocyanate and a polyol. Isocyanates irritate my skin, lungs, eyes, you name it. I am sensitized to that terrible stuff... When I went into the s...

Many times my different professions and interests overlap. Sometimes I have to draw at work in order to explain what I mean or to design something science-y (very scientific). Sometimes I have to draw pictures to help clients remember how to do a certain exercise or stretch. Lately, though, I've been lifting weights to get strong for pleasure AND work. I find myself getting frustrated with lifting items around work because I AM WEAK . I try to work smarter not harder and use levers as much as possible. When there is no way around lifting heavy stuff, I put on some music (maybe some Van Morrison to pump me up--"G-L-O-R-I-A!") and take a deep breath. I have to tell myself what I tell all my clients: the work you do in the gym will help you in life. I quickly review what exercises might help me as I begin to work. Squat . Feet shoulder width apart. Weight on the heels. Lumbar curve maintained. Chest up. Core engaged. Butt goes back and down. Knees track in dire...

John Petrucci. Click for larger image. John Petrucci. Badass. Guitarist. If you want to know more about the man, then check out the most reliable resource on the Internet:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Petrucci Why am I drawing John Petrucci? At work, sometimes we have interesting talks in the break room. This past week, we had a conversation that involved blood types, John Petrucci, and something probably more important. Anyways, I decided I could either doodle a comic about blood types, write about the probability that my father is not type O+ even though eleven of his children are O+, or draw John Petrucci. Seeing as how I'm not significantly inspired to do math or try to doodle a comic conveying information, I went with John.

Banana Nut Blueberry Bread Recipe Ingredients: 4 bananas 4 eggs 4 tsp butter (melted) 1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter) 1/2 cup blueberries 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 TBS ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (F -32 * 5/9 = 177 degrees Celsius) 2. Mix bananas, eggs, butter, and peanut butter until well blended. (I am lazy and used Rob's Blendtec.) 3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except blueberries) and blend well. 4. Finally, stir in the blueberries (or chocolate or walnuts or whatever you want with your banana bread). 5. Grease a glass pan (mine was 9"x9" or so) and pour the mixture evenly throughout. 6. Heat it in the oven for about 35 minutes (that worked for me, you may need more if you use a metal pan or less time if you use a cupcake/muffin pan). 7. Remove and let cool before eating (okay, confession time: I cut a slice immediately and enjoyed while I was keepi...

In continuing my plan to read at least one book each month this year, in March I have just finished reading The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. I finished this book in two days. I'm beginning to like having this Kindle app on my phone. I take an interest in books that address mental illness, like this one. The main character, Pat, has just been released from a mental hospital and is adjusting to life on the outside. He faces different challenges, including learning who is playing on the Philadelphia Eagles team, trying to connect with his father, dealing with Kenny G (yes, the soprano saxophonist), and more. Pat stays optimistic, though, and thinks of his life as a movie that God has planned. He believes that once he improves himself to God's approval, then he will get his silver lining, his happy ending. Pat must learn how to deal with his mental illness outside the hospital. It's not so much dealing with his mental illness that is the struggle but dealing...

This year, I am trying to read at least one book per month. In January I read a book about sales. For February, I read The Martian by Andy Weir. I recommend this book if you like science fiction or just science/engineering in general. My friend Jack bought it for me (best 99 cents you can spend), and I read it on the Kindle app on my phone. I think this has started my e-book obsession! I loved being able to read it anywhere (especially while waiting in lines or standing in the Metro). I've never reviewed a book. Most of my book reviews were just book reports or essays back in high school or college. I also haven't read a good fiction in a while. I've been reading mostly textbooks or professional journals lately. The Martian is about an astronaut (Mark) who gets stranded on Mars. He has to use his knowledge and skills to survive. I enjoyed how the book involved math and science but was so simply written and well-explained (even a caveman would understand the science ...

Today I ran the Reston 10 Miler in Reston, VA, for the first time this year. I had some friends talk me into running it. I figured it would be a good training run for the Boston Marathon this year. My goal was to test out a marathon race pace, pick up the pace in the middle a little, and finish either at that pace or faster. Scientist Move: How to Convert Miles to Kilometers Take miles, divide by 0.62137. Via this way, 10 miles is 16.0934 kilometers. Athlete Move: How to Convert Miles to Kilometers Use the rough idea that 5km=3.125 miles. 10 divided by 3.125 is about 3.2 sets of 5k's, so about 16k. Use the rough idea that 1 time around a track is 400m, about a quarter mile. Four times around makes one mile. You would have to repeat that 10 times for 10 miles. That's 40 times around a track. 40 times 400m is 16,000m, or 16km. The race was at 8AM. It was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Science Move: How to Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius Take Fahreheit, subtra...

"Hello World." That's what my first webpage read. Back in middle school, I was a part of the Geocities, Angelfire, and Tripod generation. I'm not sure if they still exist or are as popular as I perceived them to be. I just remember that they offered free hosting, always had advertisements, and allowed me to express myself to the world. I went from the click-and-drag version of Geocities to learning HTML and using Notepad to design my websites. I loved learning HTML. It was the perfect blend of technology and art. I was a bit of a nerd-artist. I became a jock-nerd-artist when I learned the amazing outlet of running in high school. Become a jock-nerd-artist gave me little time to maintain a website, so I deleted my online presence. Now, as an adult jock-nerd-artist, I continue my life as a athlete-scientist-artist. I run marathons, lift heavy (relative) items, rock climb, try to cook, and work as a personal trainer. I read science fiction, play point-and-click adven...