This Morning

I woke up at 7:30, before my alarm was even supposed to go off. I was so excited I couldn't sleep any more. I was excited for my long run of the week!

So, I get up, get dressed, eat a piece of bread & butter (breaking the fast, so to speak), and start out the door. As I go, I click around to get my iPod started. Normally, it detects the sensor before I start down the steps.

Today it didn't detect anything. At all. I was down the street before I turned around and came home. After all, it crashed my iPod altogether on my last run. Not to mention the upgrade to the website has been anything but smooth. But, as gimmicky as it is, it was very much well worth the $30 investment for me.

After at least a half hour of research, I gave up and went out anyway feeling like Dumbo without his feather. By then it was a half hour hotter, too, but still worth it.

I saw hummingbirds, dragonflies, flying beetles that I mistook for hummingbirds, horses, and the 91 highway. It's a little disheartening when all of the cyclists pass you so fast, but only one runner passed me. And I ended up passing him before I turned around to come home.

But now, what to do about my dead sensor? A replacement sensor is apparently $19. It seems you can take it to an Apple store and they'll replace the battery for free. But, the nearest Apple store is at least a half hour away. SparkPeople's fitness maps are really convenient for me, since I can just add it to my fitness plan. If you're not in to SparkPeople there's always WalkJogRun too. Or, since I know it's worth it to me, do I graduate to something nicer?

Either way, RIP little Nike sensor. We've had a lot of fun together.

Banana White Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Oh, gnarly banana. Don't be sad that my husband crinkled his nose at you and called you inedible. You make me so happee!


I had squirreled this banana chocolate toffee cookie recipe away for the magical occasion that the mister doesn't eat all the bananas before they get to such a state. Who would have thought it would be so soon? The article questions the flavor mix but obviously this is crazy talk. Bananas? Good. Chocolate? Good. Toffee? Super fan.

Alright, two confessions:

1) I get really excited about rotting bananas.
2) I can't make chocolate chip cookies.

It's true. It's embarrassing. In my mind, they should come out the way the time-lapsed pre-made cookie dough bakes in the commercials, and everyone gathers around and all the children love you even though it's so easy they can do it. Mine ... fall apart on the bottom, fluff up like little muffin tops, chocolate chips seep out and burn ... you name it, it happens (and yes, I have some new tricks I plan on trying).

But this suggestion that bananas react well with baking soda was promising. (I just spent at least a half an hour researching this - anyone??)

Also, I didn't have all of the ingredients, nor the energy to go much further than the local Wal Mart. Wal Mart does not sell toffee chips. Wal Mart sells Heath bars (FTW). It ends up that two king sized Heath bars = 1 cup of chocolate and toffee chips. We won't talk about how catharctic smashing candy bars is.

I'd recommend cooking these thouroughly, as they tend to be mushy unless they turn a little brown. And it couldn't hurt to spray down the pan.

I even have corroboration that these are the most amazing cookies on earth. I know they have bananas in them, but really, the banana flavor isn't overwhelming. So if you really want to impress someone, these are the cookies to make.