my second straight thanksgiving away from home, but this one felt very familiar. while the numbers weren't there, the night did include my sister and cousin and our usual traditions of good eats, family gossip and competitive board games. we had a healthy party of six and all of us had prepared the entire day by fasting to ensure our stomachs were physically capable to consume the turkey, asparagus, cream corn, mash potatoes, yams, cheese and crackers, bread stuffing, pumpkin pie and ice cream. unfortunately we were poorly represented by the kobayashis of the world and we waved the white flag after 30% was consumed. but fear not, we each packed our doggy bags and took home leftovers for days to follow. after our family dinners we normally play a couple hours of boardgames that include screams, laughs, and some bitter losers but we could only play a shortened version of apples to apples as we were trying to catch harry potter at the theater. i lost the first 12 rounds, but ended up winning the last green card. after declaring myself the ultimate winner (it's not where you start, but how you finish) we put on our coats, scarves and gloves and departed for the evening. all in all it was a great night that was nothing short of excellence. we may have been short on family members, but we worked with what we had and created our own east coast thanksgiving tradition.
unlike most california natives, i didn't suffer through my first winter in ny. wear the right clothes and you can survive hail, snow, and wind. but i have a feeling this winter may be a bit different for me. the ny marathon inspired me to actually train for a race (only 10k...for now) that is tentatively scheduled for late march. running long distances has always been a challenge for me. treadmills are boring and my body was not made to run at slow consistent speeds for long periods of time. but having watched the marathon, a few of us made a commitment to enter and fully dedicate ourselves to a future race. dedication means training outside during the winter running various routes regardless of temperatues being in the 20s, 10s, and even single digits. i had a decent 3 mile run today in 38 degree windchilled weather and i'm not going to lie and say it was easy. i showed up with my sweatpants, fleece and windbreaker and was sweating 2 minutes into the run yet my ears and my hands felt ice cold. these conflicting feelings made the run uncomfortable yet i somehow finished. but i learned that proper gear is essential so i'm going christmas shopping for myself a bit early this year. look for me running in central park wearing black tights, shorts, thin cold gear jacket, headband and gloves...i'll be the one sweating while gasping for air as my jogging resembles more of a cane carrying grandpa's walk. however, knowing that it's only going to get colder over the next couple months, my new outfit will help motivate me to actually not let my money go to waste. it'll be interesting to see if this "new years resolution" actually gets fulfilled as i swear i've been telling myself the past 7 new years that i would workout 3 days a week, read a book every month, and consistently save more money year over year. here's to hoping!
