Still here and renewed

I have not forgotten this blog although it feels like it sometimes. I intended this blog to be more general in content, as opposed to The Mouse and More, which is more about my running and training. Fumbling through my forties came about at a low time in my life, which I have since climbed from to where I am now.

But where is that? I was having problems with work (actually had just left my job in 2008) and felt unsure about my future. It took several months, but I found I great job with a good company (that I still have) and found some focus in taking control of my life by re-dedicating myself to my running and becoming vegan. The resulting health and lifestyle changes have been all good and I appreciate the benefits I have gained from those changes. There was still something not quite balanced, though. I found I was still stressed about a few things that interfered with really enjoying myself fully. It took an unfortunate event to help me get a better realization of what's important. Several weeks ago, my cousin suddenly died. He was 50 and a great guy. He reminded me of my Dad (who died in 2004) and the suddenness of my cousin's death coalesced the importance of not wasting time worrying about things that are ultimately unimportant. It also made me realize that we shouldn't put off things just because it might be inconvenient or expensive (I'm not advocating going into crushing debt). Time is short, I'm getting older and I don't want to look back and say, "If only I'd done ..."

To that end, I had an opportunity to go to Walt Disney World the last weekend of February, solo, and I found myself at the airport on a Thursday morning boarding a plane to go back six weeks after we'd gone down for Marathon Weekend. Although this was the first time I'd gone down solo since 1980, when I was 15 and had a chance to go for a day (much different time back then), it was an interesting opportunity to do some things I haven't done in a while. I used this trip to scout and confirm vegan food options, as well as think a lot. Usually, I run a few times on non-race trips and this trip was no exception. I spent one day visiting three parks and Downtown Disney, which entailed a lot of walking, scouting possible running routes at a couple resorts, and generally enjoyed myself as much as I could while traveling solo. I wouldn't mind going down again solo, but I'll always prefer to travel with my wife and son, as a lot of the joy and fun is watching them have a great time there.

I hope that the future holds other adventures for me and that I take advantage of them, as one never knows what's in store tomorrow or beyond.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Not as blah

Feeling less blah than I have been. We've had a lot going on with work and with some health-related issues (nothing major or life-threatening, but still never fun to face), so I've tried to take care of the family and the house more than myself. I think that was a major contributor to the blahs I had. I was able shake a good portion of them recently, but still have some lingering blahness. Should fade soon. Really just need a weekend with no plans to be able to unwind. May be a while before that happens, but with fall coming (a favorite time of the year for me), I usually snap out of it.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blah

I'm sitting in the library feeling blah. I'm not sure why and, oddly, I don't know that I mind much. I've felt this way the last few weeks. I think I'm in a rut with my training, with my diet (not my eating habits, but my choices or rather lack of choices), and with the summer. I think I just need to re-focus on the important things and push all of the other stuff aside. This feeling usually happens to me a couple times a year. Various things pull me out of it, so I just need to find the right one.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New toy

We bought an iPad2 today, along with a carrying case that is also a bluetooth keyboard. I'm typing this entry on the keyboard right now. This rocks!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Very Brief post

Two things:

Gazpacho rocks!

I love this time of year, when berries are plentiful, as I eat them many times a week.

That is all.

March WDW trip - a bit late

I was able to go to WDW in March for a work conference and stayed at Coronado Springs. I was a little surprised at the difficulty I had finding vegan food there. I was able to eat a few things at the resort, although I had a lot of water, fruit, and coffee. I did get a black bean burrito for lunch one day that was pretty tasty. I had much better luck at Downtown Disney, where once again (actually twice) I visited Babycakes NYC and partook of the wonderful baked goods there. Also, I had great assistance at Pollo Campero, where the greeter, cooks, and cashier all helped make sure I had a fantastic vegan dinner.

I'm getting more comfortable know what to ask for at WDW and I was surprised at one particular interaction I had at, of all places, Pop Century's food court. I asked a couple of managers to see the ingredients for something at one of the stations. They insisted on getting the head chef to come out and talk with me. Chef Jose spent several minutes going over options and finally, we had a meal planned out. After a few minutes, he came back to tell me that there was an ingredient that had dairy in it that couldn't be taken out. He then said that he would grill some vegetables for me and bring it out. What he created is above. That's eggplant, zucchini, red onions and hummus with strawberries. To me, even though I know the chefs at WDW will accommodate special dietary requests, this was above and behind. It was delicious and, frankly, not something I expected from Pop Century.

I have a new post over at The Mouse and More that updates how my weight is doing, as well as my training for the increasing number of half- and full marathons I'm doing this year, but overall, I feel great and I'm looking forward to the fresh veggies and fruit that summer provides.

Further thoughts on vegan eating at Walt Disney World

I was in Walt Disney World for Marathon Weekend from Jan 5-12. As in October, I ate just fine, although I tried a couple of new places to eat. Tangerine Cafe at the Morocco Pavilion was a big success. The vegetable platter is awesome and I had it twice while we were there. Honestly, I'd have it every day if we are in Epcot.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In restaurant at Hollywood Studios, however, not so great. There is a marinated tofu with rice and veggies dish that is okay. I'm not fan of tofu, so that is part of my "eh" reaction, although the rice and veggie were good. I do like the theming and the film loop of cheesy Sci Fi movies and drive-in promos, but the food is not the best.

I also found out that the Lighthouse sandwich at Columbia Harbor House in the Magic Kingdom is vegan. I asked to check the ingredients of the broccoli slaw and bread and they were fine. This sandwich is the aforementioned slaw with hummus and tomatoes. Very tasty and not too filling, a good alternative to the veggie wrap at the Golden Outpost in Frontierland if you're not in that area of the park when it's time to eat.

Last, but definitely not least, Babycakes NYC at Downtown Disney. This is a vegan bakery that has delicious cupcakes, cookies, and brownies. Yum! I tried several different treats, all of which were very tasty. I will make this place a must-do stop from now on.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone