Turkish Red Lentil Soup

When I was visiting DC two weeks ago, my friends Dannie and Andrew took me to a restaurant near Dupont Circle called Levante's. The highlight of the meal was the lentil soup, described as "Turkish style, with red lentils and seasonings, complimented with a bit of peppermint."

When I came home, I searched the Internet and found a recipe that seemed to resemble the soup I had at the restaurant. I had just about all of the ingredients at home, though I picked up some fresh mint at the grocery store to garnish the soup. It ended up being delicious! The bulgur wheat gives the soup a creamy body, and the mint gives the soup a nice kick at the end. It's fairly simple to make too.

You can find the recipe here.

The Russian Monk Zossimov on Freedom

The world has proclaimed the reign of freedom, especially of late, but what do we see in this freedom of theirs? Nothing but slavery and self-destruction! For the world says:

"You have desires and so satisfy them, for you have the same rights as the most rich and powerful. Don't be afraid of satisfying them and even multiplying your desires." That is the modern doctrine of the world. In that they see freedom. And what follows from this right of multiplication of desires? In the rich, isolation and spiritual suicide; in the poor, envy and murder; for they have been given rights, but have not been shown the means of satisfying their wants. They maintain that the world is getting more and more united, more and more bound together in brotherly community, as it overcomes distance and sets thoughts flying through the air.

Alas, put no faith in such a bond of union. Interpreting freedom as the multiplication and rapid satisfaction of desires, men distort their own nature, for many senseless and foolish desires and habits and ridiculous fancies are fostered in them. They live only for mutual envy, for luxury and ostentation. To have dinners, visits, carriages, rank and slaves to wait on one is looked upon as a necessity, for which life, honor and human feeling are sacrificed, and men even commit suicide if they are unable to satisfy it. We see the same thing among those who are not rich, while the poor drown their unsatisfied need and their envy in drunkenness...

...And it's no wonder that instead of gaining freedom they have sunk into slavery, and instead of serving the cause of brotherly love and the union of humanity have fallen, on the contrary, into dissension and isolation...

...And therefore the idea of the service of humanity, of brotherly love and the solidarity of mankind, is more and more dying out in the world, and indeed this idea is sometimes treated with derision. For how can a man shake off his habits, what can become of him if he is in such bondage to the habit of satisfying of the innumerable desires he has created for himself? He is isolated, and what concern has he with the rest of humanity? They have succceeded in accumulating a greater mass of objects, but the joy in the world has grown less.

-- from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Wisdom Quote

The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.

- Lin Yu-Tang

Problem Solving Quote

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

- Albert Einstein

Deliberate Practice

Talent is waaaaaaay overrated. According to the research of psychologist Anders Ericcson, experts are no more talented, intelligent, or capable than the rest of us. Instead, these skilled performers -- ranging from professional stockbrokers, hockey players, concert violinists, cardiac surgeons, and writers -- benefit enormously from 10+ years of deliberate practice.

So what is deliberate practice? Well, it's more than just repeating the same exercise over and over. Deliberate practice involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback, and focusing on process rather than outcome (source). Exceptional performers all benefit from these environmental advantages.

Still, there are no shortcuts -- everyone have to work hard (and work smart) to become exceptional. Even so-called "child prodigies" like Bobby Fisher and Tiger Woods required the same amount of training as their peers; they just started much earlier (source).

For further reading, check out kottke's collection of links on deliberate practice along with another related topic, relaxed concentration.

Trip Report: The Avenue of the Giants Marathon

At the last minute, I decided to participate in my fourth marathon, the Ave. of the Giants, this past Sunday. I had been on the fence for the past week, because I hadn't trained in over four weeks (since my hand gliding injury). I was worried most about my sore ribs, which had kept me sidelined for the past month, but they didn't turn out to be an issue. I started out fine -- I even had a brief hope of setting a PR -- but soon enough my legs started getting sore, beginning at mile 8. The lactic acid continued to build up and I thought about quitting at about mile 16-18. At that point I felt like I was barely moving. Luckily, my soreness went away a bit and I finished in 4:42, 40 minutes slower than my time last year.

During the second half of the race, I struck up a conversation with another runner who was struggling as much as I was. She was a 26 year-old in great shape, but she signed up for her first marathon with little preparation. The two of us hobbled along the second half of the course together, getting passed by loads of people, including a 76 year-old speedster who finished in 4:34. Consider it a lesson learned -- be prepared for to run 26.2 miles or you (and your ego) will suffer!

After finishing the marathon and returning to my campsite, I met two other finishers also spending the night, Ruthanne and Bonnie. Ruthanne was also disappointed with her time. She had run a 3:52, about 30 minutes behind her recent PR. I learned that she had also recently finished a 50 mile ultra named Copper Canyon, and she is training for the Leadville Trail 100 mile race this fall. Ruthanne described the experience as "transcendental," and she convinced me to train even harder for my upcoming ultra. Bonnie is a Bay Area marathoner who has completed ~40 events in the past 10 years. She gave me a tip for my next race: The Nisene Marks Marathon next month near Santa Cruz. I already sent in my registration, and Jess and I booked two nights at a beach site campground off of the PCH. Hopefully, I'll have a good training month so I'll be prepared for the single track trail and 2,500 ft. of climbing I'll need to complete in the first half of the course.