The Casa!

Casa De Luz! It's one of Austin's vegan macrobiotic restaurants. They use no salt, no sugar, minimal spices, minimal oil, I know .. doesn't it sound pretty bad? I thought it was too when I first went there - Aug of 2005. Luckily, I got a chance to revisit it when a friend of mine decided to take me there for dinner a few months back. I don't know if it's all the running, the vegan lifestyle or what ... but after that time, I just kept going back there. All the food served there is completely organic and whole grain. They use only vegetables which are in season and locally grown. They have a different menu for every meal. They are kind of pricey at twelve bucks per meal but to me it's totally worth it. Their meal generally includes, a salad, soup, pickle, whole grain, lentils, cooked veggies, and hibiscus tea. They keep tamari and ground up sesame seeds instead of the usual salt and pepper on the tables. They have special meals on Sundays and some other days of the month. I don't think I have ever been there when it isn't packed with people. Huge banner in their kitchen reads - "Nature is our Meal Planner". I fully believe that this food is so nutritious, that when my body lacks something, I crave it. It's not a place I expect everyone to enjoy, but it's definitely a place everyone's body will relish! For more info, visit: http://www.casadeluz.org/

Lucky Number 26.2!

Alright ... I have been convinced once again! My lovely running buddy, Ciara, and the wonderful Team Asha boys have managed to pull me in again! But this time ... it ain't a half- marathon!! I am attempting a FULL one!! Gosh! I can't believe it. In Jan of 2006, I could barely run a minute. And now I am thinking of 26.2 miles. I HAVE gone crazy! My target race is the AT&T Marathon happening on 18th of Feb. I am very very VERY excited to start training which begins with a 5-miler on the labor day weekend coming up! BUT, I also dread giving everyone I know the "I have to run tomorrow" excuse. I think people got pretty tired of that the last time. But you know what, after 3 drinks who even remembered if I was there or not! Right? I don't know if it's age or just the overdose, I don't even enjoy the downtown scene too much these days and this training seems so much more fun. I don't mean to ridicule the party goers, oh I did enjoy that scene A LOT a while back, but I think it's just different phases of life. Yeah yeah! I am an oldie. :) Anyway, back to my running, I am really really excited about this!!! Wish me luck and hope my legs stay loyal to me!

Mornings ...

Is waking up every morning this tough for everyone else or is it just me?

Every night I go to bed thinking, "Tomorrow, it's going to be different. I am going to be up early. I am going to try and squeeze in that jog or make it to that gym class. 7 hours is all I need." There are days I even go to bed early thinking, "Okay, I will give my body the 8 hrs or even 9 hrs it needs." But the sun rises, and totally independent of what time I slept, if it isn't time yet when I absolutely HAVE to wake up, I snooze.

What's even more amazing is how my mind calculates this "absolutely have to wake up time" in the few seconds between the time my alarm rings and the moment I decide to snooze. It's based on numerous factors - shower time, what kind of breakfast I want to eat, do I need to take a detour to starbucks, do I have an early morning meeting, is my car out of fuel and a whole lot of other factors. As the first snooze time gets done, it's time to re-calculate. This is when my mind begins to filter out those that can wait till later - "The orange fuel tank light still hasn't come on yet" "Who needs breakfast?" "I don't need to wash my hair today".

With my brain calculating and re-calculating, it's not a wonder why I feel so tired and groggy as I wake up! Last year I was running at 6a. How did that manage to get out of my "absolutely needed factors" and how do I get it back in???

Is waking up in the morning this tough for everyone else or is it just me?

Dreams can come true ... ;)

Even though some of you have already seen this one ... I had to post it coz I think it's worth saving. :)

I had the weirdest dream ever!! I dreamt I met Rajnikanth and he was explaining to me that he doesn’t have any black money. All the money he earns is earned in the right way and also how he donates so much to charity. And this is all while both of us walked on streets of Chennai. And then, he said he wanted to pick his suit from the laundry place. And for some reason, his laundry place was this one room dhobi shop. And when we went there, the dhobi didn’t have his suit ready on time … but Rajnikanth was so patient and then he told me that anger gets one nowhere. We should be patient!!!!

Oh my God!!! What the hell was that? Why am I dreaming on Rajnikanth and why is he advicing me? AND, I am pretty sure that in my dream even though I was talking in English, I believed it was all tamil!!! This was one of those early morning dreams … superstitions say they usually come true!! :P

I hang out too much with you Tams!!!!!