I Eat, Therefore I Run...

I really owe it all to my girlfriend Elizabeth. I could do a "Top Three Reasons Elizabeth Is Not Really My Friend", but after knowing each other for the last 18 years, I don't think she'd have much trouble proving me otherwise. Here's my secret (or not much of one): I have NO self-control when I make cookies at home. The raw dough is just too good to pass up! Elizabeth comes into the picture because she introduced me to Yellow Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies last year while we were in Raleigh. They are a divinity of SWEETNESS that is quite close to perfection. I decided to make said cookies this weekend for my friend Kelly's birthday party. MISTAKE! Telling me to just have a taste is about as effective as telling Britney to reconsider the Bic on her haircut...it's just no match for willpower and common sense.

So here, my friends, I will pass along to you the recipe from Elizabeth. I warn you to proceed with caution and not to make these if you are home alone with nobody there to look at you with scolding eyes:

Yellow Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
* 1 egg
* 2/3 c. vegetable oil
* 1 box of yellow cake mix
* 1 c. chocolate chips (regular or dark)
Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Mix egg, veg oil and cake mix together.
3) Stir in chocolate chips.
4) Eat portion of batter raw until sick to stomach, then place remaining half in cookie-size chunks on cookie sheet.
5) Bake for 6-8 minutes, cool and enjoy!

So this brings me to the age-old philosophy of "I Eat, Therefore I Run" where we started. The good news from my cookie escapade is that it did force me to go on a 7+ mile run yesterday! I finally did it -- I touched the Golden Gate Bridge! It's about 3+ miles to the trail where you run uphill to get to the bridge (all the while dodging hordes of tourists has to be another 50 calories or so), then you reach the top and it's instant gratification of beauty. You can see the surfers, the beach, Sausalito (town on other side of the bridge) and so much more. I walked onto the bridge and stood there for awhile which got me thinking of the facts I read just the day prior:
* The GGB is 1.7 miles long including the approaches.
* It suspends approx. 225 feet above the water.
* The bridge is designed to sway 27 feet from east to west in high wind or earthquakes.
* In the 1930s when it was built, bridge builders expected 35 casualties during construction, yet they only lost 11 men thanks to a net-device they created under the bridge, which saved the life of 19 men.
* Today, there are an average of 19 suicides per year off the Golden Gate Bridge. That is approximately one suicide every two weeks. 2006 was a strange year where the average rose sharply to 34 suicidal deaths.
* In lighter facts, in 1937 the toll was 50 cents each way. Today it is $5 southbound and $0 northbound.
* 38 painters work on the bridge year-round. In addition, 17 ironworkers are employed to replace corroding steel and rivots year-round.

So, get those running/walking shoes on because we are definitely hiking up there on your next visit! Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera with me on that run, so I suppose I will have to try again and bring one with me!