More food stuff, but this is important

Asking for your participation. This is what the petition below is about:
Beef slaughterers on the industrial scale Beef producers, in an effort to save money and find a way to use all of the cow and not waste any deliciousness, have been grinding up all the yummy meat left over after butchering, dousing it in ammonia to sterilize it, freezing and packaging it, and then adding it to a wonderful burger you can purchase in such fine dining establishments as McDonalds, Taco Bell, etc. Sounds disgusting to you, I hope. So disgusting, in fact, that the said dining establishments stopped using it in their so called burgers after the public outcry.

Oh, did I mention that USDA approved this "pink slime", as it's called, as safe? Of course, what could be harmful about ammonia-treated cow entrails? Yum.

Now, that the major fast food corps are not using it, what would you think is the best possible placement for the horrible ammonia-treated pseudomeat? 

The "pink slime" is coming to a school cafeteria near you!!! Yes, US school lunch programs just bought this filler to feed our children at schools across the country.

I object. So do the other 200 K plus people, who CARE about what their children are given to eat and who are asking USDA Secretary to stop feeding "pink slime" to our children. Please, sign the petition.  

zaiki and co.: Running and aging, or don't shoot the old(er) hors...

zaiki and co.: Running and aging, or don't shoot the old(er) hors...: Spring is in the air. Kinda. And it could only mean one thing - let the season of races begin. This past weekend I participated in the obl...

Running and aging, or don't shoot the old(er) horse

Spring is in the air. Kinda. And it could only mean one thing - let the season of races begin.

This past weekend I participated in the obligatory, hilly, and vomit-inducing St. Patty's Day 5K. Obligatory - because my friends and I run it every year and I feel guilty if I don't sign up (I missed last one due to post-surgery recovery), hilly - there is a big freaking hill smack middle of it to squash any hopes of PR for me, and vomit-inducing - well, it's because I run it much faster than my normal pace and inevitably end up dry heaving after.

This year, the run went pretty painfully - that hill nearly killed me and the muscles in my legs are still complaining pretty loudly two days later (I think going line-dancing that night didn't particularly help matters). The race was PACKED. I don't remember it being that crowded. 1358 people!! Wow. The course is really not designed for this number and the beginning was a huge clusterfuck (yes, it's my blog and I can curse if I choose to!): the road was so packed you couldn't even pass people, let along get up to speed quickly. Add wind and cold weather to that, and I was fucked. The crowd dispersed eventually and I was able to fall into my stride without risking tripping on someone and going ass over teakettle.

Every time I race, the first 5 minutes are spent silently asking myself "why?", as my body groans and moans. Once I get going it's all good, but the starting point is usually rough. This year was not an exception, and my shin was hurting pretty bad too. I didn't have as much momentum as I hoped for, but I beat my first post-baby 5K time by about a minute. So we are improving, but  in 2008, I ran the same race and finished with 7.5 minute mile pace. Four years added about 40 seconds to that.

This year's ego boost was me  beating a 13-year old boy to the finish line. Yes, yes, I did. And it made me happy. Because, you know, nothing says "I'm soo-o cool" more than passing teenage boys in a family-friendly race...Hey, at least I didn't elbow him.

As I get older, I'm noticing a definite shift toward slower pace, but my endurance is much-much higher than 4 years ago. 5Ks are the domain of younger people, in my opinion. I'll stick to 10Ks and half-marathons. This year, my goal is to finish 13.1 miles in May under 2 hours. Last year I finished in 2 hours 2 minutes, so I think shaving off about 2 minutes off of my time is doable. :)

The day was finished by watching a parade, cooking and then going out zaiki-free to line dance to Colorado Cafe, where I indulged myself by drinking club soda with lime and imagining I was a cowboy while trying not to trip on my own feet. Yee-ha. There's another sign of aging: I did not ride the mechanical bull at the joint unlike 4 years ago, when I'd be first in line. :)