rebound of summer
People often ask me how I do it- running the restaurant and training for marathon. Being your own boss may have psychological freedom but it's just opposite physically. You are your own slave 24/7. Running actually gives me a moment of escape from it. Great way to wake up and it gives me strength both physically and mentally. Beginning of the week I gladly went out in the steady rain for an hour run. But some days it is really hard to get out of bed. Yesterday was just one of those days. When the alarm went off, (this is an hour after Coco's 'kitty alarm'- which is uncontrollable) I just couldn't get up. I needed another hour of sleep. So I allowed myself to fall back to sleep. Some other days I may whip myself and get out, saying "I would feel better when I get out," which is usually true. In such contrast to yesterday's madness, tonight is completely dead here. Heat is coming back again tomorrow. After 19 year in New York, this roller-coaster ride of weather still comes as a shock.
on august 24, 2007 @ 08:32 pm [link]
| August 2007 | ||||||
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soy diary
Coco the cat update
After two months since her first diagnosis for hyperthyroid, Coco finally seems to be back in health. It feels like much longer than two months for me, trying so many things every day. In the first few weeks since she started on medication, she stopped eating- almost completely. She weighed only 5 pounds in June, and she was down to 4 by late July. I kept opening the new can of Fancy Feast but she would just have a little, not even a mouseful, and she wouldn't eat the rest. I went through almost every kind of more expensive cat food, but couldn't find anything she would like. Giving her medication was another issue when she doesn't eat. I was instructed to crush and mix the tablet with food, which she refused to eat. She was so frail when she got a fluid therapy boost last month. She regained strength and began eating. And I was able to find something she loves- fresh raw tuna. Three times a day, she got a little bowlful of chopped fresh tuna, which she gobbled, gobbled, and gobbled. I was really glad I had a restaurant, otherwise how was I to give her fresh bowls of tuna every day? I tried other human food, like shrimp, chicken, beef, pork. I cooked and ground them every day for her to try, but after all tuna was the only thing she would eat. I also found tricks to give her a medication too, first by wrapping in a piece of tuna, then by hiding in a moist cat treat. That worked for a few days then I had to switch over to cream cheese. She kept eating, taking mediction, gaining back weight, but threw up violently almost daily. I had to cut back on medication again. Then finally I found cat food she would eat, a kind you can't buy in a regular supermarket. It turned out that she would still only eat tuna. Tuna only. Not tuna and sardines, which I was sure she would like, but no. She ate a little, and still voted for tuna only. I also found 'pill pockets,' soft gummy-like treat with a hollow to hide medicine inside. This has been a godsend. So far. Until she decides to refuse it. She's been eating well, and been content and affectionate, and whiny like before. She's been waking me up usually at seven, sometimes earlier, every day. I thought hypertyroidism was making her whiny, but I guess it is just her, an old whiny kitty. She is still my number one kitty in the world.
on august 22, 2007 @ 01:39 pm [link]
After two months since her first diagnosis for hyperthyroid, Coco finally seems to be back in health. It feels like much longer than two months for me, trying so many things every day. In the first few weeks since she started on medication, she stopped eating- almost completely. She weighed only 5 pounds in June, and she was down to 4 by late July. I kept opening the new can of Fancy Feast but she would just have a little, not even a mouseful, and she wouldn't eat the rest. I went through almost every kind of more expensive cat food, but couldn't find anything she would like. Giving her medication was another issue when she doesn't eat. I was instructed to crush and mix the tablet with food, which she refused to eat. She was so frail when she got a fluid therapy boost last month. She regained strength and began eating. And I was able to find something she loves- fresh raw tuna. Three times a day, she got a little bowlful of chopped fresh tuna, which she gobbled, gobbled, and gobbled. I was really glad I had a restaurant, otherwise how was I to give her fresh bowls of tuna every day? I tried other human food, like shrimp, chicken, beef, pork. I cooked and ground them every day for her to try, but after all tuna was the only thing she would eat. I also found tricks to give her a medication too, first by wrapping in a piece of tuna, then by hiding in a moist cat treat. That worked for a few days then I had to switch over to cream cheese. She kept eating, taking mediction, gaining back weight, but threw up violently almost daily. I had to cut back on medication again. Then finally I found cat food she would eat, a kind you can't buy in a regular supermarket. It turned out that she would still only eat tuna. Tuna only. Not tuna and sardines, which I was sure she would like, but no. She ate a little, and still voted for tuna only. I also found 'pill pockets,' soft gummy-like treat with a hollow to hide medicine inside. This has been a godsend. So far. Until she decides to refuse it. She's been eating well, and been content and affectionate, and whiny like before. She's been waking me up usually at seven, sometimes earlier, every day. I thought hypertyroidism was making her whiny, but I guess it is just her, an old whiny kitty. She is still my number one kitty in the world.
on august 22, 2007 @ 01:39 pm [link]
feels like summer is going past us so quickly.. again
Last saturday was my favorite group training run in the central park. When I mounted on my bike I just remembered that the gear was broken- I couldn't shift to a lower gear. Pedaling hard on high gear all the way to 102nd street was already some work out. Then I joined thousands of runners for 20-mile run. It was a beautiful cool summer morning, and we passed by the people camping out for Shakespear tickets in the park like they were a lot crazier than we were. 3-hour run went comfortably, quickly, and enjoyably, with of course someone singing by mile 15. We passed a slower group in the last lap who were singing all together. We envied their collective runners high.
Sunday was a perfect beach day. Heidi and I roasted ourselves in Rockaways. Water was warm, calm and clean. Breeze was also calm. I was procrastinating for a few weeks about Labor day weekend, when I usually take a little vacation. Ernie said to me last week, "You should definitely go away. You work too hard." I said to myself, that's true. So I booked my vacation trip.
on august 15, 2007 @ 03:33 pm [link]
Last saturday was my favorite group training run in the central park. When I mounted on my bike I just remembered that the gear was broken- I couldn't shift to a lower gear. Pedaling hard on high gear all the way to 102nd street was already some work out. Then I joined thousands of runners for 20-mile run. It was a beautiful cool summer morning, and we passed by the people camping out for Shakespear tickets in the park like they were a lot crazier than we were. 3-hour run went comfortably, quickly, and enjoyably, with of course someone singing by mile 15. We passed a slower group in the last lap who were singing all together. We envied their collective runners high.
Sunday was a perfect beach day. Heidi and I roasted ourselves in Rockaways. Water was warm, calm and clean. Breeze was also calm. I was procrastinating for a few weeks about Labor day weekend, when I usually take a little vacation. Ernie said to me last week, "You should definitely go away. You work too hard." I said to myself, that's true. So I booked my vacation trip.
on august 15, 2007 @ 03:33 pm [link]
Only half of it this time
It was a beautiful cool morning. I left my apartment at 5 am to head to the nyc half-marathon. I got a ride with a chatty earstern european cabby- which was nice because it seems rare these days. Cabbies are often too busy talking on the phone. In the park just getting bright, I waited patiently for the start at 7 am with 20 thousand other crazy runners. It was a big Nike-sponsored event, very popular in the second year. I enjoyed the race very much last year, running through Times Square and met by pouring thunder storm in the last 3 miles. This year seemed even bigger, with a large number of international star runners. Start was smooth, but soon I noticed strange thing about the race. Spectator was so quiet. We would get so much support from cheering section in smaller races. There seemed to be good number of people standing around watching the race, but they were all quiet. Even the volunteers, a group of big uptown boys, were just standing around and chatting. A woman running next to me got frustrated and yelled, "Come on, cheer!" I thought it would get better when we leave the park. We were met with very enthusiastic crowd on Seventh Avenue last year. But something was still very wrong down through Times Square. There were a lot more bands and DJ's along the way, though. The Brazilian troop on the west side was especially fun. But the rest of spectators! What was wrong with them? It was at least nice for me to spot some of my old teammates. I ran quite steady even splits, but died a little in the last 1 k. The final disappointment was that they didn't have popsicles for us at the finish. Last year after getting drenched, not many runners wanted eat popsicles. I took two. That made the lady who was handing them out very happy.
on august 6, 2007 @ 12:25 am [link]
It was a beautiful cool morning. I left my apartment at 5 am to head to the nyc half-marathon. I got a ride with a chatty earstern european cabby- which was nice because it seems rare these days. Cabbies are often too busy talking on the phone. In the park just getting bright, I waited patiently for the start at 7 am with 20 thousand other crazy runners. It was a big Nike-sponsored event, very popular in the second year. I enjoyed the race very much last year, running through Times Square and met by pouring thunder storm in the last 3 miles. This year seemed even bigger, with a large number of international star runners. Start was smooth, but soon I noticed strange thing about the race. Spectator was so quiet. We would get so much support from cheering section in smaller races. There seemed to be good number of people standing around watching the race, but they were all quiet. Even the volunteers, a group of big uptown boys, were just standing around and chatting. A woman running next to me got frustrated and yelled, "Come on, cheer!" I thought it would get better when we leave the park. We were met with very enthusiastic crowd on Seventh Avenue last year. But something was still very wrong down through Times Square. There were a lot more bands and DJ's along the way, though. The Brazilian troop on the west side was especially fun. But the rest of spectators! What was wrong with them? It was at least nice for me to spot some of my old teammates. I ran quite steady even splits, but died a little in the last 1 k. The final disappointment was that they didn't have popsicles for us at the finish. Last year after getting drenched, not many runners wanted eat popsicles. I took two. That made the lady who was handing them out very happy.
on august 6, 2007 @ 12:25 am [link]