Today I have somehow found the motivation to write something. Minor updates of sorts, nothing spectacular or exceedingly fascinating here.
I’ve been walking to and from work instead of taking the train. It’s 2.6 miles each way, about a 35-40 minute walk, depending on my energy. I’m glad to be getting some regular exercise, even if it is not much. I must begin running again.
I measured the distance that I’ve been walking with a wonderfully useful website, MapMyRun.com. It allows you to enter a starting address, and click on points in the map to track your walk/run. It’s based on Google Maps, so it has that wonderful satellite view for any areas where there are no streets. I used it to measure the distance of the run I’ve done along the lakeshore – about one mile, it turns out. That’s why the run/jog/walk back was so terribly heinous when I would do that – I was already traveling a mile in one direction. I will go back out and do that again, definitely, and build up to longer distances. I want to run the Chicago Marathon next year. It’s the only marathon in the country that doesn’t require you to qualify to enter.
If you are interested in the different ways I trek to work or my little run along the lakeshore, MapMyRun allows you to create a profile and save it. Mine is here.
I’ve been trying to cook more at home, to save money. Today I’m making some seitan from scratch. I think I’ve discovered the trick to getting it the exact texture I want. It turns out that the more you knead the dough before simmering it in the broth, the firmer the seitan will be. I have always been a fan of the softer seitan, or of the ‘wheat meat’ type seitan (which I have no idea how to make – how do they get that stringy consistency?). So I’ll be doing considerably less gluten kneading in the future.
I’ve not written anything in so long, it’s worrying me. I started writing some bits and pieces of new songs on Tuesday, though, which is good. Very sharp, bitter stuff, as per usual – the Morrissey sort of bitter, where laugh cruelly at the humor in it. At least I do. I enjoying writing that sort of thing greatly. I may make an attempt and bringing my vocal abilities to the open mic next Tuesday.