Step Up for Kids - Race No. 2 of 35

Among the many perks of living in Chicago (six major league sports teams, endless free family activities, one of the highest bars-per-capita rates in the U.S., to name a few), are the abundant skyscrapers. Chicago is all about its architecture, and as a result, we've got tons of stair climb events.

Some of the more popular ones, like Hustle Up the Hancock and the SkyRise Chicago (at the Sears, er Willis, Tower) apparently sell out in minutes, at least for the full climbs. So, for people like me who aren't so quick to pull the trigger, I'm fortunate to have plenty of other tall buildings to climb.

Last week I did Step Up for Kids at the Aon Center, an 80-floor climb. This was my first stair climb event, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, I did OK, finishing the climb in about 24 minutes. The winner did it in 9:57, which I can't even begin to understand.

Surprisingly, the climbing part wasn't very difficult. I didn't really get short of breath or feel the burn in my legs. Instead, I was slowed down by dizziness. Doing a climb like this means you're turning 180 degrees every 5 seconds or so. That was the hard part for me.

Part of the appeal of doing an stair climb is the view you get from the top. Unfortunately, this January day featured rain and fog, so here's the spectacular view of the city from 80 floors up:

Aside from the climb itself, this event didn't seem particularly well-organized. Chris and the girls came with me, but the area where spectators were permitted to hang out lacked amenities. The area was on the lower level of the Aon Center, and it was also where they had packet pick-up and bag check. So, lots of people were down there. Yet, there was only one bathroom with three stalls in the women's room. The lines were insane.

In addition, there wasn't any water, snacks, water fountains or anything for spectators, not even for purchase. The one plus was a kids craft zone, which worked out well for Chris and the girls. At the finish line, which only climbers could access, they had lots of kid-friendly snacks and drinks, so I loaded up and brought them down to the girls.

But otherwise, I wasn't super impressed with the organization. It's possible that all indoor events are like this, and I'm just spoiled by large outdoor events. I'll find out in a few weeks at the Fight For Air Climb. It's a climb at the Presidential Towers — there are four towers with 45 floors each. I'm doing all four, so it's a total of 180 floors. Hopefully I'll figure out to combat the dizziness between now and then. Got any suggestions?


Race Summary:
Race name: Step Up for Kids
2015 Challenge Race No.: 2
Location: Aon Center, Chicago, IL
Organizers/Sponsor: KPMG
Beneficiary: Lurie Children's Hospital
Cost: $150 ($50 registration + $100 fundraising)
Distance: 80 floors
Best parts of the race:
- Indoor race in January

Worst parts:
- Lack of bathrooms in general area
- Lack of water, snacks, anything for supporters in general area
- Waiting for the elevators to get back down, which took longer than the climb up. I honestly would have taken the stairs down to avoid waiting in that line, but it wasn't an option.

Upcoming events:

• Next race: Possibly Cupid’s Undies @ John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL – Feb. 7. Still trying to decide if I'm going to do this one. I would love to run it with Chris, but the childcare situation makes it hard. Anyone wanna run in your undies with me?
• February:
• Mardi Gras Chaser 7K, Feb. 21 @ Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL
• March:
• Fight For Air Climb (180 floors stair climb), March 8 @ Presidential Towers, Chicago, IL - I need some donations for this one, so if you can spare a few bucks, please donate! Full disclosure: This is probably not the last time I'll hit you up for donations this year, so you know, keep that in mind when choosing how much to donate. Seriously, even $5 helps.
• Get Lucky 7K, March 14 @ Jackson Park, Chicago, IL
• Shamrock Shuffle 8K, March 29 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL

35 for my 35th: No. 1

I turned 35 on Jan. 1, 2015. In honor of my 35 years on Earth, I decided to give myself a little challenge: within the year 2015, I will complete 35 official races. The races can be of any kind: running, biking, stair climbs, triathlons, mud runs, obstacles courses, etc. But they all must be official races, with entry fees and bibs numbers and the like.

In case you’re doing the math very slowly, 35 races equates to about 3 races per month. So, it’s not exactly an easy challenge. I mean, how many races can you do in January?

So far, one.

I completed the Polar Dash (5K) in Chicago on Jan. 10. It was 16 degrees outside at the time, and I attended my company’s holiday party the night before. And by “attended,” I mean, the libations were flowing, there may have been some G n R karaoke and head-banging on my part, and I got home after 2 am. But the next day, ran I did—nursing a moderate hangover.

Surprisingly, despite the chilly temps and bitter winds off the lake, I managed to overdress. I wore two pairs of pants, three long-sleeve shirts, two pairs of gloves and a knit hat. Most of me was sweating. The only part that got cold was my nose, which lost some feeling part way through the race. But otherwise, it was a great run. I had a blast, and although my time wasn’t great, sweating out the previous night’s vodka was a win in my book.

Race Summary:

Race name: Polar Dash

2015 Challenge Race No.: 1

Location: Grant Park, Chicago, IL

Organizers/Sponsor: Team Ortho

Beneficiary: Shriners Hospitals for Children - Chicago 

Cost: $50

Distance: 5K (3.1 miles)

Best parts of the race:
- The swag—a cozy zip-up fleece and an adorable penguin hat
- Time of year and location—proved to myself that an outdoor run in January in Chicago isn't just doable, but better than I expected and fun

Worst parts:
- Crowded start—Everyone lined up by their expected minute-per-mile, but once the starting bell went off, everyone just started moving forward, slowly. Although I lined up at a pace that required running, the race didn't clear out enough to do much actual "running" until about a mile into the race. Staggered start times, even by 45-90 second each, would have been much better.
- Frozen water at the water stations—I had to pick up a few cups before finding one that had actual liquid water inside. But I guess that’s one of those January outdoor race hazards.

As for races No. 2 and beyond, here’s my plan for the next few weeks, although I may add more if I can:

• Next race: Step Up for Kids (80-story stair climb) @ Aon Center, Chicago, IL – Jan. 25 (tomorrow)
• February: Possibly Cupid’s Undies @ John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL – Feb. 7 (Trying to find a way to do this one with Chris, while securing a few hours of babysitting for the kiddos, in between Jane's swim lessons in the morning and Maya's gymnastics in the afternoon. So we'll see.)
• March:
• Get Lucky 7K, March 14 @ Jackson Park, Chicago, IL
• Shamrock Shuffle 8K, March 29 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL

Baby Maker

A little belated, but thought I'd post the video I made for Chris' 5th Father's Day here.

Side note: I've wanted to set this song, "Promise," by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, to music for years. It's the best.

Flashback Friday

I read recently that your can give new life to old content by reposting something with a new twist. I love how this is totally effortless and also gives me an excuse to browse through the archives.

So, in celebration of today's date, 8/8 — the anniversary of Wrigley Field getting lights (8/8/88) — I thought I'd bring up any other posts I did on Aug. 8 over the years:

2008: Sweaty Elvis
That time I ran a 5K is an inflatable Elvis costume. Much like the Cubs' first night game, I finished the post the next day.

2006: Enclosed in a Veil
Back when I blogged frequently, was prepping for my wedding, and I participated in the now-defunct photo blog Self-portrait Challenge.


Man, life pre-kids was different.

Point of Contention

As an editor who straddles journalism and marketing, nothing exposes a writer's background to me as quickly as the exclamation point. If you write in your copy: "The company reduced turnover by 50 percent," there is a chance you have a journalism background. If you write, "The company reduced turnover by 50 percent!" I'm fairly certain that you do not. It's right up there with Random Capitalization and "utilize."

Yet, for all my exclamation-point snobbery, my emails to co-workers and clients look something like this:

"Hi Emily!

I know you're super busy, but I just wanted to check in on that TPS report again? Sorry to be a pest! If you need anything from me to pull that together, just let me know!! :)

Thanks!
Sarah"

So, why the absence of all basic writing skills in my electronic communication? Because after more than 10 years in a female-dominated industry, I've learned that if I don't use them, I will be perceived as a bitch. Or, as The Onion wisely put it, a stone-hearted ice witch.

This is definitely a double-standard: Most of the men I work with don't use the superfluous exclamation point. And I suspect it's more common in certain industries — Chris is a lawyer and says that no one uses them. In fact, he said he once received an email from a co-worker that included an exclamation point, and he wrote back asking him why he used it.

It's not just the exclamation point that I've fully adopted; it's also the apologetic, trying-not-to-be-too-demanding tone I've incorporated into my communications. I take steps to make sure I don't come across as bossy or demanding or short (figuratively, of course. Literally, there's nothing I can do about it.)

And part of me, a big part of me, gets angry about this double standard. Why, as a woman, should I have to communicate this way? Men don't have to communicate this way. Men don't feel the need to apologize for expecting people to do their jobs. Men are applauded for being "bossy" and "demanding" and "short" — or, as they would most likely be described, "managerial" and "driven" and "to the point."

If a man were to write my email above, it would probably read something like:

"Emily,

I haven't heard back from you about the TPS report. Please let me know when to expect it.

Thanks,
Bob"

When Bob writes that email, he's just a co-worker inquiring about a missing report. If I were to write it as Bob did above? Major bitchtown.

But the thing is, I don't really care if my co-workers think I'm a bitch. So why do I continue to communicate this way, with emails replete with exclamation points, apologies and smily faces? I've never in my life been passive. The reason I push "Free To Be You And Me," on my daughters definitely isn't so they'll grow up to be demure and submissive.

So why don't I follow my own lead? Because sometimes, all I care about is getting shit done.

I have a lot of work on my plate everyday, and most of what I need to do requires getting other people to complete things for me. However, all of those people also have a lot of work on their plates. So if I want them to put my shit ahead of other people's shit, I need to be saccharine sweet and all puppy dogs, rainbows and ice cream.

In other words, I need to be a girl. A girls who gets shit done.

Maybe it's because I have two kids, a mortgage, a leaky basement and a healthy drinking habit to support that I'm just too tired to fight the good fight. Maybe someday I'll quit being so self-centered with my own life that I'll stop and think about how my actions could make a bigger difference in the workforce.

But for now, I'm just a girl who gets shit done, and I'm OK with that!

:)

Freezer Adventures

Every once in a while, I get so overwhelmed with the fullness of our freezers that I declare a moratorium on most food purchases. So we take stock of what's in there and figure out how to make meals out of it.

We've been in the process of a freezer purge over the past few weeks, which has led to some interesting dinners, like venison stew, Sunday gravy, tamales surprise and mini tacos.

We've reached the point where our freezers are getting down to a few random items, like half a bag of raspberries, a quarter pint of ice cream, diced ham, and bags of chicken, turkey and beef bones we saved for making stock.

Along with these randoms, we also have a handful of mystery bags.

After some close inspection and inquisitive whiffs, we hypothesized that we have black bean empanadas filling,

sauerkraut and something still to be determined,

and something that smelled like barbecue.

For the latter, we heated up the mystery contents in the oven and finally determined that we had homemade barbecue sauce. Chris recalled bringing a chicken and barbecue dish to our friends' potluck, before these friends moved back to Italy. Then I remembered that the potluck was on Easter, and that I let on while there that I was pregnant. With Maya. Who is now 3 1/2. Which would make this particular sauce close to 4 years old.

Yeah, we ate it anyway. We combined it with the aforementioned diced ham and enjoyed the classic dish barbecue ham- and-cheddar omelets.

In addition to these culinary adventures, we decided we didn't want to be those people who keep animal bones in their freezer. So we also finally got around to making stock -- both poultry and vegetable varieties. However, making stock doesn't help our over-stuffed freezer situation. We've made stock many times before, and usually we freeze it in Ziploc bags of varying sizes. But since we don't own a microwave, using the frozen stock resulted in a slow thawing process before we can even get the stuff out of the bags. So, in need of a space-conscious way to store stock, preferably without plastic bags, naturally, I turned to Pinterest.

That's where I found the solution that's so often the solution for all kinds of food and space dilemmas: muffin tins. A muffin tin is like Pinterest's duct tape; it can be used for EVERYTHING. Martha Stewart's suggestion to freeze stock in 1-cup muffin tins was frequently pinned. Unfortunately, I don't own any of those massive tins; mine are only 1/3 cup each. Still, the idea worked well.

In addition to muffin tins, a few people also suggested yogurt containers, which also proved successful. We go through tons of Oberweis yogurt, which comes in the 8-oz containers -- a perfect size for stock.

On tap for next weekend: figuring out what's up with that sauerkraut.

Down in the dumps

No Chicago-based toilet blog could exist without mention of the crappiest of crap holes in the city. I speak, of course, of Wrigley Field.

I should note that I am a life-long Cubs fan. I have stuck with them as they've built up my hopes and then flushed that hope down the toilet. Year after year after year. I am also a fan of Wrigley Field. You get spoiled growing up going to that park. It's size. It's charm. It's Old Style.

Yet, despite my love for the Cubs, and my love for Wrigley Field, I will be the first to admit that the bathrooms blow billygoats.

Wrigley Field
Chicago, IL

Don't let this picture fool you: It was taken very early during a game day. Rest assured by the 6th inning, the floor was covered in a fine blend of beer, urine, toilet paper, cigarettes and sport peppers.

And this is just the women's restroom, as in the nicer of the two. Meanwhile, the men have the infamous Wrigley Field troughs.

Still, as much as I enjoy a clean bathroom, on a day like today -- early February, with a lovely "wintery mix" falling outside -- I'd rather be visiting those stinky stalls during the 7th inning stretch than salting my staircase.

So here's to four more days until pitchers and catchers report, and another step closer to the return of Summer.

The Big Crapple

I started back at work full time in August. Hence, my already sporadic blogging frequency has been greatly diminished. My toilet photography, however, has not. 

That's because being back at work also means that my travel schedule has picked up greatly. New city bathrooms, touristy bathrooms, airport bathrooms. All have met my iPhone.  

Along those lines, I have this shot, taken a year ago in New York while traveling for a conference. Don't let the cleanliness of this picture fool you. It was taken at one of the crappiest* bathroom locations I've encountered: LaGuardia Airport.

LaGuardia Airport
New York, NY

I've since been back to NYC, this time for a non-work trip. And I got some bathroom shots, but I'll save those for another day.


* Figuratively, not literally. At least not that I witnessed this trip.

Meine Klo

As promised, we're traveling to mainland Europe. As expected, it took me six weeks to write this post.

In reality, six weeks isn't that bad. But what's sad is the realization I had the other day about this project.

Like everyone else, I've been watching the London Olympics for the past few days. Seeing London on TV makes me miss that city so much. I actually started this toilet project when I went to study abroad in London...which was 10 years ago. I have been working on this project for 10 years, and I've yet to hang one framed picture in my bathroom.

Sure, I've had some other things going on in my life during those past 10 years — graduating college, getting my first job, moving halfway across the country twice, getting married, having kids, etc. But have any of those activities made me so busy that I can't print out some pictures, frame them, and hang them in my bathroom? Or am I just lazy?

I'm going with lazy. When I look at these pictures, and I think about what I did in Europe, what I've done over the past 10 years, what I did last weekend, one thing becomes clear: I drink a lot of beer.

Like my last toilet post, this one features an unknown drinking establishment. I know I took this picture in Munich, Germany, and I think it might be the Hofbrauhaus. But I'm not positive. Sadly, I didn't think to get another picture when I went back to the Hofbrauhaus on my honeymoon (classic honeymoon destination, no?).

Munich, Germany

Next week (or month, or year, or whenever I get around to posting again), I'll try to feature a non-drinking or eating establishment to prove to you, and myself, that I've done more with my life over the past 10 years then drink and eat.

Bringing Potty Back

Oh my, it's been a while.

Since my last post, I've shaved my head, given birth, and started a second blog. But apparently, none of those events were eventful enough for me to start blogging again.

So what's brought me out of my slumber? Toilets.

While on maternity leave, I've had a little time to dig out those negatives, convert them to digital files and upload them to Picasa. I've actually had time to do a few little household projects, too, and even leave the house everyday. I'm not sure if this baby (a girl named Jane, by the way) is easier than Maya, or if I've just mastered doing multiple tasks while holding an infant, but I managed to accomplish much more than I anticipated this time around. But I'll get to all that less-important stuff in another post.

For today, we have an unknown bar in London, featuring an old-fashioned toilet with an elevated water tank — you know, the kind you'd find in an Italian restaurant with a gun hidden behind:

London, England

Next week, we'll head to mainland Europe. Or I'll get busy and not blog for 8 months. You never know.