Tough Mudder

This week I signed up for Tough Mudder Squaw Valley, in September. It's a 10 mile endurance race, designed by British Special Forces that includes 18 obstacles such as swimming under barrels, running over logs, climbing walls, and running through fire. It claims to be the hardest one day endurance race on the planet.

I decided to register because a friend is on a team and I was able to join, and also because I wanted to have a big fitness goal this year. Here in Portland, marathons and half marathons are the thing to do. I've considered doing one, but there's a problem, I don't love running and the idea of doing it for 5 hours straight is just not that appealing to me. I'm pretty sure there is no way I'll be bored during Tough Mudder.

It's about 6 months until the race and I'm really looking forward to the training. It's great to have a big goal to be reaching toward. Here is a video to give you an idea of what the race is like.

See Jane Speak

When I was a girl, Jane Goodall came to my school to speak about her work with primates. I was 8 years old and it was the first time I had ever encountered a famous, distinguished person (other than a chance Blazer sighting in Portland). Generally, those guest speaker talks in school are often more for the parents who plan them than for the children, but this was a great exception.

I remember being captivated by Jane's stories, told in her beautiful speaking voice, with her London accent, which back then sounded not only sophisticated, but exotic too. She told us stories about her research in Tanzania, and about David Greybeard, the first chimpanzee she observed using tools and the importance of conserving the natural habitat of the animals.
This morning I watched her Ted Talk from 2007 on what separates us from the apes. It brought me back to that day all those years ago when I saw her speak for the first time. I was struck by how little she has changed and how engaging her quiet style is. I also found these pictures of her as a young woman and I love how chic she looks, whether standing in the jungle or having a chimp brush her hair. I wonder what it would have been like to be a young woman in the 1950's setting off for Tanzania to study with Louis Leakey. You can watch the Ted talk below:

Ray LaMontagne

The first Ray LaMontagne song I heard was "You are the best thing" from his 2008 album Gossip in the Grain. It was one of those instances in life where I was totally captivated and after taking it in had to find out who sang it.



Here's a song from another of his earlier albums, which you may have seen in a Traveler's Insurance commercial:



Finally, here is a very fun cover he did of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"

Friday Five

Here are five things that I'm loving in 2011:

Bosu Ball This is one of my favorite pieces of equipment to use at the gym. You can use it to practice your balance, do planks and push-ups with it. My favorite use for it is balancing on it while tossing a medicine ball to a friend. Some day I will own one of these. Oh yes, it will be mine.


The Hunger Games
I got this book for Christmas and once I started reading it finished it in under a week. It's aimed at young adults and reminded me a lot of The Giver and The Lord of the Flies.


Rooibos Tea
I first tried Vanilla Rooibos during college and loved it. Recently I've been drinking plain Rooibos, which is grown in South Africa. It's got a warm, rich and a little bit sweet flavor. It's great for people who almost like Chai.

Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Shampoo & ConditionerThis shampoo is designed for long hair but is also an effort to promote the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program, which is a program that encourages the growth and donation of hair to make wigs for cancer patients. You can read about their program here. Their requirement for length for donation is 8 inches, which is shorter by a couple of inches than many comparable donation programs.


Snowshoeing

This is one of my favorite ways to get out in the winter and get some exercise. It's much cheaper than downhill skiing (especially if you invest in some snowshoes) and is a great way to spend a day. Pack a lunch and a map and enjoy scenery like this.

The King's Speech

Last Saturday I went to see the much talked about drama The King's Speech. Today it was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and I must say, I think they are well deserved. I'm not one to get excited about just any historical movie about the House of Windsor, but I found the film to be very entertaining and quite a compelling story. So often we think of the powerful people of history in terms of their strengths, but The King's Speech illustrates the fact that as hard as it is for us to believe, these figures are human.

The best, most surprising thing about the film was how funny it was. We laughed through the whole thing. It also walked that very fine line between sentiment and schmaltz very successfully. Being a long time Colin Firth fan I thought this was a great role for him and was very happy to see him nominated for an Oscar for the performance. Last, but not least, it was great to see Helena Bonham Carter in a role that did not rely heavily on scary makeup (i.e. Fight Club, Planet of the Apes, Harry Potter, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland...).

Check it out if you haven't already!

Don't Settle

The sad news came this week that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be taking another leave of absence in order to focus on his battle with cancer. Jobs has been a remarkable visionary in the field of technology and the role that it has played in our lives for decades. The news got me thinking about a video I had once watched of a commencement speech Jobs gave at Stanford in 2005 about the path his life had taken. In it Jobs talks about his own journey through college, and how acknowledging his lack of direction led to one of the most creative periods of his life and would have far reaching implications for his future success. You can watch the video below:

History is lived today

Today, for the first time in history, the Oregon Ducks will play in the BCS National Championship. I have never been prouder of my alma mater. I'll be humming this all day...

Oregon, our Alma Mater,
We will guard thee on and on,
Let us gather 'round and cheer her,
Chant her glory, Oregon!
Roar the praises of her warriors,
Sing the story, Oregon,
On to vict'ry urge the heroes
Of our Mighty Oregon!
(bridge)
Go! Ducks! Go!
Fight! Ducks! Fight!
Go!
Fight!
Win! Ducks! Win!