The Mud Run

After a fun night out at an early Halloween party Friday night, waking up at seven on Saturday morning wasn't the easiest thing to do. We managed to do it, however, because we had a very compelling motivator: the mud run. 

The Mud Run, now in it's eighth year, is advertised as "Little Rock's Dirtiest 5k," due (mostly) to the fact that it ends with a giant mud pit. It sounds crazy, I know, but it actually is even crazier. 

                                                                                              Undisturbed mud

We got to the park where the race was being held around 8:00 Saturday morning. Though we were dressed in normal running attire, the majority of the people there where decked out in all kinds of Halloween costumes, which, impressive by itself, was made more so by the fact that everything they were wearing would end up being completely covered in mud. My favorites were a group of Crayola crayons, a family of penguins, and three kids dressed as rock, paper, and scissor. The announcer was dressed as Miss Piggy, and Brian the Barbarian (so named because he's won the race every year since its inception) was in his familiar Superman costume. He must know a really good dry cleaner. 

                                                                                             The before shot

Anyway, we took off from the starting line around 9:00, and most of the race was normal. Sure, we ran through fields, past people gardening, and alongside Oopa Loompas, Fairys, and several Brides, but other than that, it just seemed like your average 5k. 

Until, of course, we got to the mud. Less mud pit, more mud swimming pool, by the time we were heading into it, all out mud madness had begun. Within thirty seconds of entering, a person I'd never seen before was flinging mud at me, and my shoes were getting stuck in the stuff. Chris and I weren't afraid to go for it, though, and pretty soon we were just about swimming in mud. The hardest thing, of course, was actually trying to walk through and get to the other side, because our shoes were stuck in the mud. 

But, we managed to make it through eventually, and, thanks to the box of trash bags we brought with us, we made it home without completely ruining Chris's car. Hot showers ensued. 

The pictures are thanks to Stephanie, Chris's sister, who turned up with his mom to cheer us on and capture the madness!

                                                                             About to head into the mud!                                                                   

                                                                                         That splash is us.

                                                                  Not as easy as it looks.

                                                           But we're loving it!

                                                                      Muddy smiles.

                                                             Whew. We did it.      

                                                             Muddy madness all around.

A Short List

Not a lot going on here this week, but I have made a few rather important discoveries:

1) Working in an office that also houses a bridal magazine occasionally results in free swag leftover from photo shoots. I now have a beautiful bouquet on my desk at home, and Chris has a boutonniere should he ever need one.

2) Williams Sonoma makes all-natural, low calorie tonic water. Found this out on Wednesday when Chris and I, still without a washer and dryer (got delivered today!) went over to his mom's house to do laundry. The three of us and Stephanie ended up playing a rousing game of Life (so much easier than actual life), and drinking gin and tonics. Yum.

3) I am now at the point of my life where I have an office Christmas party on my calendar. Um, when did that happen?

4) Friday can never come soon enough.

As for this weekend, it's turning out to be rather busy. Chris and I are going to an early Halloween party tonight, then tomorrow we have a 5k in the morning (expect a later blog post to be about that). Then I am getting a haircut (I can practically hear my mom and Remy cheering from here) on Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night we're having a barbecue at our house for some family friends that are in town. Sunday will, as usual, be about football, and, hopefully, getting a pumpkin.

Embracing Arkansas

Chris and I workout every Saturday morning with Chris's dad at his gym. This weekend, that workout proved more crucial than ever. 

After coming home from said workout and showering, Chris and I headed out to the first ever World Championship Cheese Dip cook-off. Yes. Cheese dip.

Whatever you're imagining, I promise you, it goes beyond that. 

At its most basic level, cheese dip is made up of Velveeta and Rotel, and indeed, they were the sponsors of the event. But most of the vendors (a mix of professionals and amateurs, competing in separate categories), went way beyond that. 

We had the original cheese dip, created a restaurant in northern Arkansas. We had cheese dip with bacon and chives, cheese dip with crawfish and sausage. We had white cheese dip, and did cheese dip shots when one of the vendors we wanted to try ran out of chips (I am not proud of this. Nor do I regret it). We got cheese dip from one booth, and ate while we stood in line to get cheese dip from the next booth over. We stopped only for beer. 

Being from the east coast, I did not grow up in a cheese dip culture. It is, it seems, a southern thing, and, considering its origins, it is understandably huge in Little Rock. 

There were so many people there that by 2:30, most everyone had run out. The event started at 12. It was scheduled to last until 9. 

On Sunday the eating continued, at the holy land of fried food: the state fair. 

Chris and I had been planning to go for a while, with his mom, Margaret, and sister, Stephanie. We'd been doing our research, by which I mean we'd been reading food blogs and articles so that we didn't waste our time. 

We parked near the food court, and got to work. 

First, there was the traditional corn dog. Somehow, it was my first. So simple, so bad, and yet so so good.

Then, Chris got gator on a stick, which I liked, but it was a little too salty for me. Margaret got roasted corn, which we all ate bites of, in an attempt to feel better about ourselves because we could say we ate a vegetable. Since we followed with fried mozzarella sticks, though, I'm not sure it really made that much of a difference. 

After that, we took a break from food to do the other fair things. I was the only one of our foursome who actually likes big, scary rides, but I did get Chris to go on one that basically consisted of me crushing him, since he happened to be sitting on the left side of our car.

We also took time to see the animals, which is my favorite. Pigs, baby ducks, cows, goats, rabbits. Everything. We braved the smells and saw it all.

And were well rewarded. In our readings, Stephanie and Chris and I had come across what is known as a smooch: a deep fried Hershey's kiss. Now, I like Hershey's kisses more than your average person anyway. So to take one and deep fry it would, I imagined, create a treat so delicious and fattening that it could only be allowed to exist at a once-a-year event, like the state fair.

We had searched the food court for them, but with no success. None of us was willing to leave without them, but we weren't sure where else to look for them. Luckily, they found us outside of the animal house.

So, after sanitizing our hands, we ordered two plates of four, and found a picnic table in the shade to indulge. There are no words for how good they were. It was like eating a chocolate filled beignet, but instead of the sometimes-too-sweet chocolate filling that can come in a croissant, say, it was a Hershey's kiss. Just sweet enough, but definitely and deeply chocolate. We all very much enjoyed our two. 

And then we felt complete, and after one more ride and a look at the giant watermelons, we headed home.

The diet, as you might have guessed, began today.   

 Waiting in the beer line, on a break from cheese dip eating.

 I'm a convert. Cheese dip rocks.

 The native shows me how it's done.

 Cheese dip with salsa, pico de gallo, and a few fresh jalapenos. Yum.

 Loving a bunny at the state fair.

 Deep fried Hershey's kisses. What more is there to say?

The Agony

As a creative writing concentration, I took many workshop classes in college. I've had stories ripped apart by students and professors alike. One student wrote in his comments to me that he hated my characters, my setting, my plot, my dialogue, and the tone of my story. Which boils down to, he hated everything. And sure, I cried a couple times in the privacy of my room (and once in a professor's office). But, eventually, I toughened up.

Or so I thought.

Today, however, when I got back the draft of my first cover story for Arkansas Business, I couldn't stop the tears. Most of it was style issues, and I know that it's not personal, but it's hard to see your writing bleeding right in front of you. Luckily there are bathroom stalls for just this occasion, which I fled to in tears. They've been coming and going throughout the day, but by now I mostly have them under control.

And I think that, against all odds, my story "will make" as they say. I've made the changes and cleaned up the sentences and expanded on some points of interest. I've moved things around and cleared out the typos. I've calmed down.

But, it has been a trying day to say the least. So trying that I had to go home at lunch, watch most of last week's Glee, which I still have saved on DVR, and eat two of the brownies I baked last night as dessert for the delicious dinner Chris made (swordfish steaks, wild rice, and broccoli, yum). So trying that since coming back to work after lunch, I have done nothing but read washingtonpost.com articles and write this blog post. So trying that after work I will likely have to change into sweatpants, watch this week's Glee, and eat two more brownies.

Those interested can look for the article, which may or may not bear and resemblance to my original story, on ArkansasBusiness.com on Monday.

Burritos, Bananas, Britney

Ok. I'll admit it. I'm one of those people who love Glee enough that even when the episode has little to no plot or character development, I still won't hear a bad word against it. Some side of me (the side that played Annie in Super Summer Actors camp and lip-synched all the songs) needs to have an outlet for my love of showtunes/trashy pop songs/classic rock hits. Glee gives me that, and as such, I will be a loyal and devoted fan no matter what. 

That being said, I will admit that last night's episode was little more than an excuse to recreate music videos from the Britney Spears golden years. Since that's a secret fantasy of mine, however, I loved it. I'd forgotten how amazing she used to be, pre-babies, pre-kevin, pre-shaved head, pre-paparazzi attack, pre-walking into a gas station bathroom barefoot. Last night, as Santana and Brittany got their anesthesia on, I got my nostalgia on. 

I also ate a lot. One of the things I do at work when I have nothing else to do, is look at food blogs. It helps to pass the time, but it also works to make me very hungry by the end of the day. Luckily, I live with a boy, so big eating is not something I have to be shy of. 

While Chris worked on a dinner of beef burritos with refried beans, cheddar cheese, green chilies, jalapenos, and hot sauce (we like spicy food, can you tell?), I made banana cupcakes. Chris's mom and sister had given me the mix as part of my birthday present, so I decided to go for it, with chocolate frosting on top. I won't say who ate how many, but by this morning, five were gone. 

Tonight we have plans to take Chris's sister, Stephanie, shoe shopping and out to dinner for her birthday, which was last Tuesday.  The weather is finally turning towards fall, and she and I are both in the market for some new boots to greet the season. It's almost October, after all.

Work, Eat, Support the Razorbacks

My job is becoming increasingly centered around food.

               

Not that I'm complaining. Far from it. My "working meals" this week have resulted in an invitation, a nail polish recommendation, and I came close to topping it all off with a Razorbacks Snuggie.

               

On Tuesday, my editor Gwen arranged a lunch for us with a "little black dress" PR maven named Andrea. She works for one of the biggest law firms in Little Rock, knows everyone, and was one of AB's "20 in their 20's" last year. Over soup, salad and homemade moon-pies at the Capital Grill, Andrea charmed me with her half-Chicago/half-Southern accent, her trendy clothes, and her penchant for calling every female in five-foot radius "lady." Example sentence, Andrea to Gwen: "Oh, lady, I am definitely looking for a man again." Example sentence, Andrea to me: "Oh, lady, if you ever need anything, just give me a call."

               

Besides the moon-pie, our lunch also ended with Andrea inviting me to the Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America's awards ceremony On Thursday evening. She promised to walk me around the room, introduce me to everyone worth knowing in the business whose names I would never remember, and then help me get out the door before the actual awards ceremony started, so I wouldn't have to sit through it.

                 

So, last night I put on a party dress and a cocktail ring, and headed out. Apparently Andrea had instructed the event's bouncers to alert her the second I showed up, which they did by delivering me to her side. We hugged, complimented each other's dresses, made a quick stop at the bar for a glass of red wine, and then started out. After an hour with her, I now know what it means to work a room. As promised, I met many people whose names I won't remember. I also smiled a lot, shook a lot of hands, and ate my first chicken waffle (fried chicken nugget on top of a mini waffle, dressed with just a touch of maple syrup). Plus, after receiving a compliment on her manicure, Andrea revealed that it was OPI's new line of gel nail polish, and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Good to know.

             

 Then, today at work we had a tailgate party, so as to get amped up for tomorrow's all-important Arkansas/Alabama game. We were encouraged to wear Razorbacks gear, with a prize going to the best-dressed Hogs Fan. While I was only wearing a Razorbacks t-shirt, I got points for being new to the city and already showing signs of fandom. Still, nothing could compare to one of my AB colleagues, who came wearing a Razorback jersey, a blazer in Razorback red with pom-poms spilling out of the pockets, a Razorback helmet topped with a stuffed animal Razorback that he taped on top, and finished off with Razorback clogs. A clear winner.

                 

Anyway, around noon we all convened in the kitchen for a catered lunch of burgers, chips, veggies, and Oreos in the shape of footballs. After the costume contest, cornhole (or bag-o as several people have been calling it…maybe it's one of those things that's called something different depending on where you are, like Edy's) was set up in the hallway, and though lunch ended several hours ago, on my last trip to the bathroom, it was still there. For the most part people have seemed to stop playing, although I can occasionally hear the flop of a bean bag from my desk.

                

 Besides watching the Arkansas game this weekend, which I am now sufficiently pumped up for, the boy and I have plans to cheer for other favorite team, the Saints, on Sunday. We also hope to do other non-football related things this weekend. We'll see.

                 

Happy Friday! Go Hogs, Geaux Saints!  

Being Jewish in Arkansas

Surprisingly, not as difficult as one might think. Although this year's was the smallest Yom Kippur service I have attended by far, we were out of services and breaking the fast about an hour after we headed in for Neilah services. Not bad. 

And everyone was very supportive of our fasting. I say "our," because Chris signed up to fast right along with me, mostly for morally support, and partially (I think) to prove to himself that he could. Which he did. Despite the fact that many around us were cracking open cold ones while Arkansas beat Georgia (for the first time in seventeen years, might I add), we stayed strong. And then later broke the fast with cheeseburgers and milkshakes, and spent much of Saturday night in a food daze.

Other weekend activities included:

Seeing Inception, finally. My three takeaways: 1) Christopher Nolan is a genius. 2) Ellen Page needs a new walk. 3) Cillian Murphy looks exactly like the lead singer from the All-American Rejects.

We also attended a birthday party on Sunday morning for the three members of Chris's family with birthdays in September: his sister, Stephanie, his aunt Laura, and his grandmother. I contributed scones, which I somehow managed to bake while fasting (incidentally, I don't recommend this). We ate, we drank (blood orange mimosas, thank you very much), and there was much gift exchange. Chris and Paul held the fort down as the two males among seven ladies, and after much argument over whether or not Granny-Ma would be allowed to keep her wrapping paper (not, as it turned out), we all headed out to the rest of our day.

Which, for Chris and I, included hosting our first dinner party for four friends of his that I hadn't met. We did pork chops, a chopped salad, bread, beer, wine, and for dessert, a cheesecake. It's not quite cool enough to make use out of our deck yet, but we crowded around our dining room table very comfortably, and ate and ate and ate.

Just realized that, since we broke the fast, we seem to be determined to eat the least Jewishy foods as possible. Cheeseburgers (kosher no-no), with milkshakes (additional no-no), and then, finally, pork. Oh well. I may be Jewish, but I am still in Hog-country!