About SwimWriteRun

I'm a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where I studied biology.  I also had a brief stint in Club Swimming, played Club Rugby, worked in the residence halls, studied martial arts, and TA'd a few classes.  There, I met a fabulous man who's willing to do things like run around in the mud with me.  In 2004, I began a PhD program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and an official project in 2006.  Since then, I've helped write two reviews, authored some abstracts and a funded grant, and won some awards.  Hopefully the end is in sight.


There are a ton of things that keep me busy these days, since I try to balance my research with outlets to keep me sane.  I'm a writer, both of fiction and nonfiction, and I write a column for Columbia Patch that focuses on exercise and fitness.  I have a great writers' group that constantly supplies education and encouragement, and I like to shake things up with Spark Project and NaNoWriMo.  My bed-side book stack is eclectic: literary, mainstream, fantasy, scifi, etc.  The Kindle has re-kindled (sorry...) my love for classics as well.  I like to cook, sail (when I can), try new restaurants, fish, and camp (I call it camping).  I help organize events for a Columbia/Ellicott City Socials group and a Metro Area Beer, Wine, and Spirits group.  


Though I'm a slacker at times (I keep a healthy balance), I love to run and swim. Those are my two major forms of exercise, though I throw in yoga, spin classes, and other activities.  Still working on the cycling thing.  I've done the IronGirl Sprint Tri in Columbia, and the Columbia Triathlon (Olympic distance).  I completed my first marathon in October 2010, and it was a fabulous experience - I can't wait for the next one.  I swam across the bay in June, and will hopefully top that with a 5-mile swim at the Swim For Life in 2011.  We're raising money in 2011 for the Wounded Warrior Project through the Tough Mudder Mid-Atlantic Event in Virginia.  Follow our progress (and our sometimes-humorous take on training) by clicking on the TeamSFM tab, where you can also make a donation.


That's me - thanks for following my blog!  Leave a blurb about yourself in the comments.

This blog will be about...

After a somewhat negative-themed first post (not on purpose), I spent a few days thinking about what this blog WILL be about.  I did this for a very important reason: I've had blogs before, and all but one pretty much failed (aka, I lost interest).  So what did the one success have that the others didn't?

That successful blog had:

A clear contribution schedule

A defined time limit 

Personal significance

A uniting theme

I can probably hit two out of three, since I plan to maintain MoWrites longer than the other one.

So, what do I expect to write here?

• Personal things.  No, not TMI.  You probably won't hear about my morning coffee (unless it was really good), my relationships, or the smile-before-backstabbing politics that occasionally happen at work.  But I will write about my family (some of them, including the dogs, actually have their own blog - check the side bar), my friends, and the things we do.  
• Training.  This is an important part of my life (even on days when I sleep in).  Many more training posts will appear at the TeamSFM blog, but I'll also post here.  I may also post content I don't write about for MoMentum.
• Science.  The coolest thing about my job is that I get to learn about many, many different discoveries and fields.  The frustrating thing about my job is that I'm just supposed to focus on mine.  I'll share things that I find interesting here.
• Writing. I spend a lot of time writing.  Even when I'm doing other things, I'm usually thinking of my characters or my current Work-in-Progress (er.. I mean... I'm listening attentively to you).  And I still have a lot to learn about the process, about publishing, etc.  I'll work through some of that here.  In addition, November is NaNoWriMo, which will probably start to consume my soul around November 20th. Expect word count updates as I struggle to maintain my sanity.  There are some great blogs by authors in my side bar.
• Local Adventures.  I love where I live.  There are lots of fun things to do, cool places to go, interesting people to meet.  If we have a great happy hour, I'll post it here.  Favorite spot?  Same thing... although there are several Local Blogs that do it better.  There are also blogs that cover local opinions, issues, and politics.  See the sidebar for a list, or check the links I'll include in my posts.

Do you have a blog that isn't mentioned here?  Let me know and I'll add it to the blog roll.

Finally, if there's something you want me to talk about (or talk more about) comment or send me an email and let me know. Hear about an event?  Tell me!  Want to guest blog?  The more the merrier!

Look for posts three days a week: Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Tweet them or leave a comment below.

Why this blog can't be a food blog...

A tornado has descended upon our house.  Really.


Apparently, it stopped by a vineyard and a chicken fat factory en route.  And it drowned out the sound of the timer on the toaster oven.


Good news: the house is still standing.


Yet, this is what happens when I cook.


Don't get me wrong, I love cooking.  After a rough day, it's actually relaxing to come home and create something out of a pile of ingredients.  Fall is the time for soup, one of my favorite things to make for sentimental reasons (and its forgiving nature).  I turn on the radio, snack on baby carrots, and dance around the kitchen while I chop, saute, simmer, roast, etc.


I do get distracted from time to time, though.  Even carried away.


This evening was a great example.  The goal: make Asian Coq au Vin for book club tomorrow, 16 or 17 people.  The recipe prepares enough chicken for 4 people.  Some quick math was in order.


I decided to buy some bulk chicken thighs from BJs (cheap and tasty), up the number to 20, double the vegetables, and adjust the liquid as required.  There was no math to this (home =/= lab).  I just took my biggest pot and tried to make it work.


Ladies and gentlemen, it was a little messy.  Browning the chicken in batches, without getting raw chicken juice all over the kitchen, was no joke.  The pot was too heavy to lift and drain the grease, so I spooned it.  Splash.  I was unable to find fermented black beans, so I substituted black bean sauce, which threatened to char on the bottom of the dutch oven.  Fortunately I simmered the aromatics in a few splashes of wine, preventing the scramble to get the rest of the ingredients in the pot.


When I finally returned the chicken to the pot, added the herbs, and covered it all with wine, I was proud of myself.  I also realized it was going to take about ten years to simmer on the stovetop.  So I improvised.  A few months ago I made braised beef ribs, which simmered in the oven for hours to become a rich, succulent mass of awesome.  So I cranked the oven and heaved the pot, covered, inside.  It's bubbling away as I type, and smelling awesome.


But Mo, I hear you thinking.  This sounds awfully like a food blog,  Aren't you making the case otherwise?  


Well, good reader...


Feeling pleased with myself, and rather hungry, I moved on to actual dinner: pita pizza (aka, Pita + handfuls of cheese + turkey pepperoni.  No sauce.  It was all the way down stairs).  I piled the toppings on the pita, popped it in the toaster oven, set the oven to 350', and sat down to blog.


Formatting with this custom template is really easy.  (EDIT: ...not so easy)


I got carried away. And then I wondered what that smell was.


For the record, twenty minutes was actually the perfect time to cook the pizza.


However, this attention to culinary detail - or lack of it - shows me I can't do a food blog.  I admire the people who can, and I love to follow their blogs.  But taking pictures of my cooking (and trying not to drop my phone into the pot while I do so) isn't really fun for me.  Once the food is ready, I want to enjoy it and move on.  And unless I'm baking, I often stray so far from the recipe that I can't recall what I did or why the next day.


So while I may talk about food, and cooking, I will do so because they're things I love to do.  MoWrites, however, will have to find a different blog genre (blogre?).


Though the Coq au Vin really does smell amazing.