And then I walked home.

by | Sep 20, 2013 | Blogging, Fitness

This is how I started my day – with a walk along the waterfront, ambling my way towards the office and a long workday ahead of me. It’s always a peaceful stroll from where we park – about a half hour away from the office – and I make an effort to head out on the Harborwalk (the longer way) when I can. I had a breakfast date with Devon at Sportello, and although he could have driven me after that, I decided to walk the normal way to start things off right. That’s my happiness tip right there: start the morning off with a walk, and no matter how the day goes, you’ll already have accomplished something. Okay, so the same goes for making your bed. Do both, and you’ll be golden.

Our office was buzzing today – the exciting type of morning in startups: our app was a) somehow above Pinterest yesterday afternoon in the app store rankings. Yes, Pinterest. And then we made Time 50 best apps of 2013. And then someone realized that Jay Leno had actually mentioned RunKeeper on the show, and the video started circulating the office. I got to run our weekly Twitter chat – and I do *love* Twitter. And the afternoon highlight was a team-effort bug bash complete with a gavel spray painted gold with plastic bugs glued to it. For such a hard working group, it’s delightful how silly folks can be. And then my longest meeting was a walking meeting, accompanied by my coworker Rebecca, and her dog Connor. Here he is in the throws of ecstasy. Gotta love that pup!

After work I decided that I’d walk home (Newton home, not New Hampshire, although that’d be a new type of adventure). My plan was to take the “short” way, along the Charles, from Boston, to Allston, to Brighton, and over to Newton. The long way would be on the river itself, but that’s about 9 or 10 miles including all of the curves of the river.

I wasn’t actually sure I’d make it, and I left a little too late to ensure a light passage the whole way, but why not try? Sometimes I amuse myself with these “ambitious” ideas. And by ambitious, I mean, slightly off-balance. I should mention here that I am still sore from working out at the gym on Wednesday. So much so that I was getting up and down like a geriatric (but not my grandmother – she does Tai Chi and Zumba), with stiff limbs all day, and doing a lot of that achy waddling that you hope nobody notices. A run tonight seemed unimaginable, but the one thing I can do, even when sore is walk, so I just left the office with my bag, and started off. Here’s what I came across.

7.77 miles and nearly three hours later, I made it home. And now, I’m expired on the couch. And all of my favorite takeout options have already closed, and I haven’t had dinner yet. And if you’ve made it this far, you might have one last laugh with me: last night, after my second attempt at watching my recorded episode of Broadchurch, Devon fell asleep 8 minutes in, and I paused it. Tonight, I have yet to have eaten, and I’m pretty sure that attempt three is going to be a bust. C’est la vie!

‘Stiff’ and My Walk to Work

by | Mar 18, 2013 | Books, Breakfast, Restaurants

After the recent kerfuffle with horsemeat in IKEA meatballs, I thought I’d make an intro to my most recent read by mentioning that it included a lengthy section on a man supposedly selling dumplings made of human flesh. I’d much prefer the former. (The book was Mary Roach’s ‘Stiff’, a look into the history, culture, and oddity of the human cadaver.)

This book was my workday morning walk companion, an audiobook I downloaded from my library – did you know you can download free audiobooks with your library card? Well you can, and it’s genius. My new commute is a short drive downtown to a parking spot near Devon’s office in Fort Point – our ten minute morning date – followed by a half hour walk to my office in Haymarket.

Usually I’ll stop by Sportello to treat myself to a cup of coffee and two hard boiled eggs for my breakfast. Sportello also has delicious quiche for $3, and each morning they have a daily special to tempt me. On Wednesday they have donuts, Friday they have everything bagels – I broke down and ate one last week, the same day weakness caused me to forgo my black and plain morning brew for a cup of their peppermint mocha, which they made fresh with a massive dollop of homemade dark chocolate ganache. Ganache in my coffee. For breakfast. I felt bad for two seconds.

On this walk I walk over a bridge by the Tea Party Museum (historical, not political), where my ears are violated by the blaring fife and drum music over the PA system. I can choose to walk through downtown, or loop the long way on the waterfront, past the hotels, Quincy Market, and the North End. A few times I’ve had a cup of coffee at Flat Black instead – they have good Americanos (ie: flat blacks…). They also have three locations downtown, which makes it confusing if you are meeting a friend for coffee and don’t specify. They have these fun IKEA lamps too, that I’m always intrigued by, but too lazy to purchase and put together myself.

I love these morning walks because I can start the day with a clear head, and feel a sense of accomplishment before I even start my work.

#3. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Paperback, 304 Pages
Published by W. W. Norton & Company (May 2004)
(Listened to the audiobook.)

So about this book. Cadavers. A lot of snark. Accessible science. There’s something to be said about listening to bizarre science facts before heading into work – you always have something odd to entertain (or concern) your coworkers with.

When I was working in Coolidge Corner, I’d routinely walk an hour to work, listening to each of the archived RadioLab podcasts until I had caught up. Stiff felt at times like a RadioLab piece, although admittedly I wasn’t as smitten – after a while I felt like I had exhausted the topic, and yet at the same time not gone deep enough. That said, I’m looking forward to Roach’s newest book: ‘Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal’.