Year's End, and just more about food

The last days, if not weeks, had been quite humid and cold-ish, but only just around freezing. Since this morning, it has been snowing, and finally looks like winter outside (again, to be exact).
(I already mentioned the pleasure that this is to me in a post on today's running. For that, see below. - I've decided to separate some blogs on different issues; this way, the training log and other issues - one more's soon to come - can be followed much better.)

Another notice on food:
Oatmeal (or buckwheat porridge) are widely available here, both in the form of flakes, and in the form of ready-made packages ("just add hot water").

Buckwheat porridge, I had heard before, is the major food that you'd find served at soup kitchens. - It's cheap and filling, and has been the poor peasant's staple for a while. Compare that to the price of buckwheat in "the West," let alone of soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles)! The little I've seen of it, it's also prepared very simply, just with a few spices or as plain accompaniment to some sausages or the like.

Oatmeal in the ready-made packages comes with dried pieces of apple, peach, strawberries, cranberries, or blueberries. But actually, it's no trouble to make it yourself: Just boil the oat (or other) flakes with about twice the amount of water, stirring regularly (or not), add sugar (or honey) and/or fruit to taste… This has the advantage, naturally, that you determine how sweet you make it, and whether you use fresh or dried fruit.

I only knew those kinds of (breakfast) dishes as food from olden times and because there are some backpacker's versions of hot oatmeal, but otherwise it seemed something for the grandparent's generation only. Recently, having noticed it's popularity and developing a liking for it myself, I asked in Latvian class and found that it had actually been becoming a fashionable breakfast food; a little later, on Austrian radio (FM4, which is partially English-language), they were talking about its return to popularity in Scotland.

Year-end winter run

Today, it has been snowing since the morning. Finally, snow and temperatures likely to remain below zero. I want to run through the Baltic Winter.



12/31: 01:03.45,9 - 8.73 km - HR avg. 154 - TE 3.8

Prosa for Breakfast

It's totally unprosaic, though: "prosa" is the Latvian word for millet.Some of that I found yesterday, and today proceeded to prepare it with some milk and apples.

Nice, wholesome, and not at all difficult. Even if our low familiarity with millet makes it seem as if there would have to be some special complication to it.


I have one draft of a blog post - on cooking - still around somewhere, and should finally post it.
Food is just one of those issues...
(Okay, the way I've done it now, you should now find that other post on food just below this one here.)



On another issue, just after I posted my thoughts on blogging, I found that article in the New York Times: "How to Lose Your Job on Your Own Time" (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/business/30digi.html).
Teachers drinking. There's something you aren't gonna see from me.



Training, though:
01:09.12,8 - 10.79 km - HR avg. 153 - TE 3.9
(Would have been a lower training effect, but on the last lap home I turned around to check that I was not overlooking any cars, and my heart rate jumped a bit... I should talk less about that, maybe.)

Are you eating well enough?

A dormitory.
First of all, get your own pot, or you'll first have to wash up other's dirty dishes.
And, of course, the dear parents would be concerned... are you eating enough?

So, is a dorm not the place for culinary creativity, or are the restrictions a boon to creativity?
Judge for yourself - here's just some few things I came up with.
Of course, noodles and tuna, boil-and-ready ramen, and other such simple things are the standard fare... but you can make even that pretty nice.


Salmon in marinade of lime and soy sauce with cranberries on thyme arborio rice


Bruschetta of broccoli with Italian herbs, accompanied by Italian-style white bread, lightly toasted


Tortellini al formaggio with a side of roasted red bell pepper, sprinkled with Italian herbs


Risi e pisi (risotto with peas, simply)


Pasta e broccoli


A light chili of red beans, golden corn, and red pepper; Italian bread on the side


Risotto con broccoli ed olive nere (that was actually not the best of combinations ;-)

Thoughts on blogging

As a weblog, the blog was intended just to document a person's travels through cyberspace, basically as a collection of (annotated) links.
Nowadays, the conventional view of the blog is that it were an online diary, which is (more or less) what I've been using it as.

There is something very interesting to them…
First of all, blogs are somewhat exhibitionist.
Or, interpreted differently, indicative of an over-blown sense of self-importance - if you see it negatively because, then again, we also follow gossip and watch TV series. In comparison to that, blogs are a way of communicating and following the little, but at least real, dramas of somebody else's daily life.

Still, whatever the interpretation, they do provide insight into a person.

That's nice, e.g. for friends and family to follow.
It can also be interesting for a wider audience (self-disclosure: I did not blog a lot before I went on my -current - first year of exchange studies with Campus Europae, which made me realize that a blog would be a way for somebody else to gain insight into what that's like, and one very different from the usual sets of guidelines and reports).

Yet, providing insight is also a potential danger:
Others can learn quite a bit about you, not just as the persona you are in the given situation in which they usually see you, but also as a person with other interests, with doubts, with dreams,… (self-disclosure, again: I'm now thinking of students at school who know me as teacher, potential academic collaborators or employers who may get a strange impression off blogs - and, in fact, off having somebody who does blog…)

Then again:
Anthropologists, at least since Malinowski (and he pretty much invented fieldwork), have been keeping field diaries of their observations; and their own condition and reactions are a necessary part of the process of fieldwork.

With Malinowski himself, field diaries and personal diaries were - provided I remember the story correctly - both kept, but separate. So, we had one idea of his method and results at first. It changed quite a bit when personal diaries were also used, and it turned out that - well, basically, that he was not a machine but a human being, and therefore sometimes cutting corners, taking a day off, getting fed up with the people he was studying…

With blogs, the situation is not all that different, but you get the person, the life, and the work all at once (depending on what's being blogged about, of course - again, this is based on my own situation of teaching, studying, trying to work as independent scientist, wanting to work in an academic setting but not seeing more than very slight chances for that, liking to teach, but not necessarily to study to become a teacher, … and blogging about just about all of it).

So, there is a danger. Or, being of the Millennial Generation, just simply a change in how people (actually or psychologically) of that generation perceive privacy and openness.

In part, I think that a problem like the one I'm currently considering is a problem of how we are led to think that life were like it is in the movies:

• According to that, a researcher should have a great and grand theme.
  Indiana Jones and Lara Croft have their artifacts and temples full of traps, doctors have pandemic viruses, …
  In reality, much work is dull collection of data and slow-going write-up of findings.
  
• "The researcher" should also be of a single-track mind, discovering great things all the time.
  So, having a blog in which you actually talk about the slow-going can give the impression that something were wrong (with you) when it's just what it's like to be human.
  
• And finally, the popular perception (even among many current professors) is that somebody who wanted to work in academia would naturally find work in that area and not (do / want / have to) find anything else.
  Thus, I get people very confused when they learn that I'm a Ph.D., doing some research, but also studying to become a teacher, and (currently) working as a teacher already... and that yet leaves out other interests which you may not hear much about, but find mentioned online, here and there.

Of course, you could always present a different view of yourself, if you are into self-presentation and, well, slight lies. I'm rather too honest and direct, and think that the advantages of blogging outweigh the strangeness:

• It's therapeutic,
• stating publicly what you want to get done and how you do or don't progress with it can be a great motivation, and
• it's a stumbling step to a future which will be different from the present, not least in how privacy and "publicness" of a person commingle in novel ways.

That was interesting…

I feel great. First I planned rather not to go running today, then it was later than my usual time. Weather didn't look too good, either.
And then I was out and about anyways.
Temperatures slightly above freezing, very light rain, and no problems whatsoever:
12/28: 00:48.52,8 - 7.23 km - HR avg. 145 - TE 3.1
Nice to see that yesterday's high HR was probably really just an effect of something not becoming me - or so I'm telling myself, since I had been checked up medically rather thoroughly, and since these HR peaks occur but rarely.

Our cleaning lady, who I talked to again in the morning, thought it was pretty bad that my plan for New Year's is to read books and get some writing done. I rather disagree, and have spent most of this day -finally- getting some more writing on my work on parkour done. It's about time, too...

Back on after Christmas

Okay,
finished a very necessary essay (on Medieval and Renaissance literature), did some fun reading ("The Book of Air and Shadows"), and got some of my own work to continue.
Not as good as I'd like to, but I guess "There's no rest for the wicked" is my unofficial life motto, anyways.
Handing in that essay, I met the dean of the Faculty of Modern Languages who told me I should also relax; I reminded him that I still owed him an essay, too ;-)

At Christmas, I didn't want to write, I didn't even plan on mentioning it.
When you just have to do something - like celebrate Christmas, go home for it, and so on - it makes me edgy... what you just have to do is what I most enjoy not doing... (and besides, Christmas is either a celebration for a family with children - not my case, or a Christian celebration - also not my case. And using it as an excuse to get drunk is so not my case...)

There is something to it, to me, only because it marks the last days of the year.
That, of course, is the best time to realize how much you wanted to get done during that year, and failed to do yet again. So, you start planning what you'll regret not having got done at the end of next year.
Okay, okay, I'm not quite as dissatisfied as that, especially since I wanted to finally live abroad again, and have obviously managed to do that; I wanted to submit a proposal for a research project, and did (and it even did provide some insight into how to do it better - of course, only in part).
I'm still all too good at ripping myself apart over not studying languages well enough, which means that I have long been learning them, but only to forget most of what I had learned before. At least, I'm finally coming back to what I really want to work and concentrate on (but here, too, the life-less-ordinary effect works: my main focus still remains on doing and connecting things conventional thinkers see as so separate that there were hardly any focus to my doings). I might start blogging a bit more about that...

Training is continuing, still with some oddities:

• 12/24: 01:02.14,0 - 10.17 km - HR avg. 147 - TE 3.4
• 12/25: 02:01.45,9 - 19.58 km - HR avg. 147 - TE 3.4
  (pretty funny: twice the time, nearly twice the distance, same heart rate average, same training effect ... I hardly even realized it was two consecutive days, it just felt right)
• 12/26: rest (finishing the essay mentioned above)
• 12/27: 00:35.39,9 - 5.23 km - HR avg. 174 - TE 4.8
  (I already felt a bit uncomfortable going out, and the heart rate responded in kind - and still, it didn't go through the roof, and would have hardly been noticeable to me, without the HR watch ... strange thing, that.)
• Today (12/28) I may go out running, or I may do something else... I don't quite know yet.

Chill...

Finally, what seems like time to sit down, relax with books, get some of my own work done.

It's actually quite interesting to see how I've come to view studies and teaching as my work, but academic things/research in sustainability issues as my *own* work...

As always, there's actually still quite a bit of work that needs doing, such as language studies, some writing for university studies, and teaching preparation.
I find that it's coming along, though. Not least because some writing I need to do should be done in the way of a teacher's website. This at first bothered me as I'm writing quite a bit online (and should like to be working on my main/other websites), but once I really started working on it, I noticed that it's actually a good idea to put more on there than just the things for that one course!)

So, less blogging, more - what: relaxing work?!

Recent training:
12/21: 00:46.21,0 - 7.47 km - TE 3.7
12/22: 00:47.58,9 - 7.7 km - TE 3.8

up to speed

Some things to get the blog - or my readers, if there are any besides my parents ;-) - up to speed:

With today, my Christmas holidays have as good as begun.
Yesterday, I already had only one class to teach, then some of my 11th grade students came to tell me they wouldn't be coming and there wouldn't be class the next today… which turned out to be true (for me, as it were: project week themes are being presented during that time).
This day, I started as I wanted to start the free time: Getting back to my own writing.

What happened recently…
The package from home I had been waiting for did arrive quite quickly, after all:


Things you can inebriate yourself on ;-)

Running, and Motivation

I came across Nike's latest ad for their Nike+ kit connecting their shoes with distance sensor and an iPod … (can be seen on http://www.nikerunning.com/: "Witness the rebirth of running") ... food for thought:

The first part shows some historic reasons for why human beings have been runners (getting food or not becoming food, war and messages,…), and contrasts that with the bored modern runner on a treadmill. Then, it asks: "Need motivation?"
Okay, to that point I think it's great.


Yet, what is their answer?

To be running with the iPod plugged in, telling you how far you have gone, listening to music… which means, not realizing where you are running, not being quite aware of your body and your surroundings.
And that's supposed to be the great motivation?
Sorry, but I think it's just silly.
There, I'll rather go for Pearl Izumi's "We Are Not Joggers" campaign (http://www.wearenotjoggers.com/).

I've even come to think that my Suunto t6 is still better for serious runners than models which guide your training through coaching features.

Sure, I'd like some updates to it, but I'd rather not have my training watch tell me more than heart rate, time, speed and distance, when and if I want to look at it.

When I don't want to have technology try to tell me what to do and how I am doing, I'd rather not have it be intrusive, but listen to myself, the sounds of my footsteps, and the sounds of my surroundings.

Notes:

12/16/2007: 00:33.13,04 - 4.98 km - TE 3.4

(Still, "highly improving" training effect? I think that time, because, the software has reduced my activity level used for analysis slightly.)

12/17/2007: 00:32.34,09 - 4.82 km - TE 3.6

12/20/2007: 00:50.21,0 - 7.89 km - TE 4.3

Haven't been feeling too good recently, had too much to do for university, temperatures are quite consistently below freezing, and not having continued my own work had left me very unhappy... hope this will get better with the free days, time of "individual work" and exams in January (and teaching at school, of course... and soon enough, I'll be planning next semester. May get a bit more challenging (schedule-wise) since I need to fit lectures around the teaching schedule... and as always, I may want to do quite a bit too much yet again, but should finally be a bit more careful.
Well, we'll see. In about a month, so much I should do and hope to get done until then.
Now, on to the one or two last university lectures for this year.

Saturday:

Just working to get some work done, especially for school, and still not enough for university (but after next week, it would be too late… at least, teaching practice seems to work out and will/would be worth quite a lot of ECTS credits).

Running:
00:44.04,0 - 6.74 km - TE 3.8
(rather higher than it should have been today, but the cold is having some effect, and the software decided to downgrade my training level a little :)

This week ... so far

• Monday:
  No running in the evening, but a reception at the Austrian ambassador to Latvia's residence. Great talks, nice food.
  
• Tuesday:
  Can't remember anything special.
  
• Wednesday:
  Best news of the day: some classes didn't take place. Latvian written test late in the evening. Probably didn't do all that good…
  Oh yes, and I learnt that we'll be having one course's exam next week, in class. And I'll have to do yet more reading.
  
• Thursday:
  Skipped some classes, just had no more nerve to go… next day, my teaching would be observed, as required for getting credits for "Teaching Practice." And still, I didn't go running again…
  
• Friday:
  All's well.
  A student who is writing her thesis on foreigners' experiences in Latvia and I had a little talk. We had arranged that meeting a little while ago; I had to leave a bit earlier to make sure I'd get to school in time. Wouldn't have wanted to be late when teaching observation is taking place.
  Well, my students actually liked my ideas for today, or so it seemed; they were a little concerned having a stranger (my professor from university) and one school teacher they know sit in class with them (though it still seems that students have far fewer problems with that than teacher training students think they would have); and it went pretty well. The feedback was rather good, too. - Among other things, I seem to be doing quite a few things right, without even having learnt it explicitly…
  With my research project proposal to the FWF (in Austria) having been rejected, it seems very good to continue with teacher training as another career/work possibility, and with it having received pretty usable feedback - for the most part, at least - it's nice to see I could possibly do well in both fields…
  
  And, I finally got to go running again… and how:
  01:43.46,0 - 15.75 km - TE 4.6 ("highly improving" training effect, that is)
  
  The days I missed at the beginning of this week seem to have been good for getting rested; I felt as if I could have just gone on… and it has gotten to where the temperatures feel pretty cold (they are consistently below freezing, by now).

Update

Still behind in the online classroom administration for the classes I teach, still not doing quite enough of the necessary writing and learning, and so in need of the Christmas vacation and sort-of spring break. Not so much for relaxing, actually, but for getting some work done. Hopefully, anyways.

Yesterday, I received note that the FWF (Austria's main agency financially supporting scientific research) has rejected the research proposal I submitted before leaving for Latvia. In quite a nice way, as per the info I have so far: Basically, they seem to think that it would be a project for a group, not for one researcher.

It still continues my personal Catch-22, though:

I submit this proposal because I need financing, most of all because I don't find an institution where I could work in my specialization. And what do they tell me? Why, that I should get myself connected to a research institution, of course...


Makes me think, once again, that "Privatgelehrter," the old (think Alexander von Humboldt) idea of a researcher who does science because of interest in the world and finances it by teaching nobility's children (and through inheritances - those people were of the higher classes themselves, and entertaining people of such circles - ... those ideas will need adaptation ;-) may be a better idea than being a "pure" researcher.

Which all makes it even more important to me that I continue my running training... it does me good (as said before, when I feel like running away from it all, in particular), and I may yet make some activism out of it...

12/07: 00:45.41,0 - 6.53 km - TE 3.5

12/08: 01:05.43,3 - 9.64 km - TE 3.6

(Those were quite interesting at first, not least because their training effect was much lower... my Suunto Training Manager software had "adapted" it to a very high number based on the highest HR I had reached when it peaked so strangely at the beginning of this week. I changed it back to a lower level and re-analyzed the logs.)



12/09: 01:58.34,9 - 16.52 km - TE 3.8

HR average: 149 bpm. Very nicely low, for me, for such a long (slow) run; that the training effect is still not above 4 ("highly improving") is noteworthy, though...


View Larger Map - The blue line is the run of 12/09/07

Today, resting day.

Break from blogging

At least the plan is that I'll be taking a little break from blogging...

Two days ago, the running went alright but heart rate went up a bit (and down nicely),
yesterday I didn't go out running (weather was too dreary and I have too much work),
today my heart rate went way up, the way it used to do months ago... Very strange.

And, I have tons of things to get done as this first semester in Latvia is pretty much drawing to a close, hence I should be going for that rather than writing in the blog...

I'll probably be back on the weekend at the latest, anyways.

Nice day,...

... there should be more like them.
Chilling, but also getting some things to progress.
Still lots and lots to do, much of it rather quickly (for finishing off this semester), some continously (teaching)...

Nothing important to tell, though.

Training Note:
00:40.33,4 - 5.77 km - TE 2.9

Should finally go to sleep earlier and get up as early as usual.
Will see about that ;-)

Quite a crazy day...

Did some shopping; should be set to get by with the money and food I still have until I get my next salary… sure would be good.

That also was preparation for an attempt at fixing some pizza. The dough for it turned out nicely, too (yep, hand-made by meself ;-)
Would have been invited to the Saturday chicken party/potluck some people from this floor are having. However, running took precedence and went so nicely, I did not get back in time.

01:41.19,0 - 15.19 km - TE 3.2
(Training Effect of 3.2? Having run that long and far - but slow? I think I need to put in some more interval training.)

Got some help with the baking oven, tried to prepare the pizza… and its bottom got burnt pretty badly. Still tasted alright (it had risen to be rather thick, and so top and bottom separated); but carrying it, with one of the people who had invited me and helped with the oven (but didn't realize to tell me about not putting anything on the bottom of the oven) shouting after me, the way to my room being long, I quickly caught the baking form to keep it from falling, burning my left hand somewhat.

In the end, I also staid up much later than I would have wanted, just thinking. And enjoying the comparative quiet on this floor. My continual problem: Some more things still need to get moving, but the day still only has 24 hours, and I can't seem to use too many even of my waking hours.

Somehow, this is a useless post. Yet, I've said it before: Blogging is coming to be a bit like therapy. And, I have always said that it may help to put things into words and put them out there. It makes it at least somewhat more likely that you'll also do them instead of just thinking that you should do them...