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"
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 & Conditioner
This 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.
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 & Conditioner
This 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!
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!
Happy Friday!
Jimmy Fallon should the Ducks a little love this week on Late Night. Only a couple of days until the big game!
Things that make you go "Hmmmm"
When I was in college, my marketing professor did a unit on campaigns aimed at "tweens" and popular tween culture. At the time, Miley Cyrus' star was just beginning to rise and another teeny bopper, JoJo was popular. My 50 year old professor showed us a news magazine special that featured JoJo, basking in her defiant tween glory and as we proceeded to discuss it, provided his viewpoint that JoJo exhibited the "ick factor." The professor went on to describe that feeling as being the anti-x-factor. Something that you couldn't quite describe but just repulsed you. I don't often observe cultural phenomenon that fall into that category, but I came across these images on CoCo Perez of a photo shoot from Vogue Paris Cadeaux and if they aren't "ick" I don't know what is. There's just something totally wrong about adults dressing children up like models and then asking them to mimic them.
{images via CoCo Perez}
{images via CoCo Perez}
Steampunk
Have you heard of Steampunk? I hadn't before this weekend when one of my friends referenced it. This led to me asking a thousand questions and requesting illustrations of this phenomenon. Wikipedia defines it as: Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy.
Interesting. Somewhat strange. But I must confess that I loved reading about the Victorian era when I was a kid, so maybe these steampunks were just the same. I was shown some photos that helped illustrate what it means in a practical sense.
A Steampunk Computer (made to look Victorian)
I hope that keyboard is easier to use than it looks. Have you ever typed on a typewriter? I would say modern keyboards are superior to the pounding necessitated by typewriters.
A guitar:
I think stylistically some of this stuff is pretty cool. Generally I'm not into trying to make the present look like something else, but every once in a while it's neat and totally catches your eye.
Interesting. Somewhat strange. But I must confess that I loved reading about the Victorian era when I was a kid, so maybe these steampunks were just the same. I was shown some photos that helped illustrate what it means in a practical sense.
A Steampunk Computer (made to look Victorian)
I hope that keyboard is easier to use than it looks. Have you ever typed on a typewriter? I would say modern keyboards are superior to the pounding necessitated by typewriters.A guitar:
I think stylistically some of this stuff is pretty cool. Generally I'm not into trying to make the present look like something else, but every once in a while it's neat and totally catches your eye.
Happy New Year!
Success, failure and the in-between
I have a small, close group of friends with whom I discuss media and entertainment a lot. We have shows we watch together and we enjoy critiquing whatever happens to be the subject of the moment. It has become a long running joke that my contributions often start with "I heard (insert accomplished creative name) on Terry Gross and they said _________." What I have come to realize though, is that what is different about Terry Gross and some others (Charlie Rose) is that their interviews generally center around how a person rose to prominence and often the setbacks they faced. If one were to simply watch "interviews" on Late Night and the Tonight Show, one might assume that superstars were destined for fame, they were simply fulfilling a destiny.
One of my favorite interviews from recent years was with Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother (you can listen to it here). He talks a lot about how he experienced early success after high school of being cast in Judd Apatow's network dramedy Freaks and Geeks only to have it canceled mid-season and did not work again for years. In light of his success over the past five years, most of his fans probably never imagined the years he spent questioning if he was wasting his time chasing his dream. What shows like this highlight is that often there are many, many setbacks before success and it's the people who grow from failure and persevere that are likeliest to experience success.
Here is another good thought from This American Life host Ira Glass about creativity and sticking with it:
One of my favorite interviews from recent years was with Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother (you can listen to it here). He talks a lot about how he experienced early success after high school of being cast in Judd Apatow's network dramedy Freaks and Geeks only to have it canceled mid-season and did not work again for years. In light of his success over the past five years, most of his fans probably never imagined the years he spent questioning if he was wasting his time chasing his dream. What shows like this highlight is that often there are many, many setbacks before success and it's the people who grow from failure and persevere that are likeliest to experience success.
Here is another good thought from This American Life host Ira Glass about creativity and sticking with it:
Cupcakes!
Kyra has been working around the clock to keep up with all the business that the media buzz has created. Lucky for us she took the time to appear on a local news show AND give us one of her amazing recipes for Champagne Cupcakes! Here it is, just in time for New Year's Eve!
Cake:
8 oz (1 C) butter at room temperature
16 oz (about 2 C) sugar
4 large eggs
2 ¾ C all purpose gluten-free flour mix*
1 ½ C champagne or sparkling wine
Champagne French Buttercream
3 oz egg yolks
8 oz (about 1 cup) sugar
2 oz water
10 oz (1 cup + 4 TBSP) butter, at room temperature
1/3 C champagne
Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350˚ Fahrenheit.
Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue creaming until the color of the butter mixture is several shades lighter.
Add the eggs one at a time, stopping the mixer in between each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Once the eggs have been combined and the batter is a uniform texture, add the flour mix in 3 additions, alternating with the champagne. Make sure to stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl so the batter is evenly incorporated.
Evenly fill the cupcake cavities 2/3 of the way full (using a large ice cream scoop is the best way to make sure the cupcake batter is evenly dispersed).
Bake until the cupcakes are done and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 14-18 minutes.
Remove from oven and place each cupcake on a cooling rack until completely cool.
In the meantime, make the Champagne French Butter Cream:
Put the sugar and water in a small sauce pot and boil until a candy thermometer registers 248˚.
Meanwhile, in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, beat the egg yolks on high until light, fluffy and tripled in volume.
Slow down the mixer to medium and slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the whipping egg yolks.
Once all the sugar is in, turn the mixer speed back up to high and whip until the yolk mixture is no longer warm to the touch.
Add the room temperature butter in chunks and mix until fully incorporated, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.
Add the champagne slowly and mix until combined. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with your choice of garnish. Enjoy!
Temple Grandin
Last year I discovered Temple Grandin. She is an author, doctor of animal science at Colorado State University and she is autistic. Her remarkable story was made into an HBO movie starring Claire Danes (I highly recommend it). She grew up in the 1950s at a time when Autism was barely even known and as a result of the devotion of her mother and teachers, she was able to harness her genius and become one of the most renowned livestock experts in the world.
She's written numerous books, two of which I am currently reading Animals Make us Human and Thinking in Pictures. The latter is her memoir about growing up with Autism. In 2009 she did an interview with Terry Gross, you can listen to it here. I am equally fascinated and awed by Temple Grandin's story. Her insight has been invaluable to understanding the thought processes of Autistic children. Give the TED talk or her interview a listen and I guarantee you will come away inspired and entertained, not to mention a little smarter.
She's written numerous books, two of which I am currently reading Animals Make us Human and Thinking in Pictures. The latter is her memoir about growing up with Autism. In 2009 she did an interview with Terry Gross, you can listen to it here. I am equally fascinated and awed by Temple Grandin's story. Her insight has been invaluable to understanding the thought processes of Autistic children. Give the TED talk or her interview a listen and I guarantee you will come away inspired and entertained, not to mention a little smarter.
Christmas Mittens
When my father was a boy, his mother started knitting these snowflake mittens. She would use wool yarn for the body for warmth, and a synthetic blend for the cuff, so that it would maintain its shape better. When she became a grandmother, she began to knit tiny snowflake mittens for her grandchildren. My brother, cousins and I had collections of all sizes and colors of these mittens. A few years ago, she knit a pair for each member of our family for Christmas. I got a red pair, as you see in the photo above.We took a photo on the stairs of our entire family wearing our snowflake mittens. I like to pull it out and show it to friends from time to time with the simple statement "and here is my family." Without the slightest hint of humor at how cheesy the picture is. They always stifle their laughter until I smile and acknowledge the fact that most people do not have a picture of their entire extended family wearing mittens.
When it came to domestic matters, my grandmother was a brilliant baker and crafter. But she was also quick witted and honestly a little bit of a hard-ass. She didn't like complaining and she valued hard work above nearly all else. Sometimes I think about how much she did before noon in her most active days that I can remember. This convenience world that we live in requires very little actual "work" in the physical sense. We can "work" all day at a computer without creating anything tangible. For some reason, around the holidays, I get this urge to create, whether it's cooking or knitting a scarf. Maybe its the cold weather, or maybe it's a way to honor the generations that came before that did these things each day.
Merry Christmas!
Call Me a Duck
UO's all male singing group, On the Rocks recently appeared on the NBC show, The Sing Off. While they did not win, they did release this little gem to the thousands of students and alumni that love them so. They're no Supwitchugirl but they are pretty good!
My Christmas List
Here are a few things I'd be thrilled to find under the tree this year. None of these are realistic, but perhaps that's half the fun.
A cattle dog pup! I fell in love with the two sweet cattle dogs that belong to some of my friends over the summer. A dog isn't in my near future, but look at that face!
A tropical vacation
A great new job
What do you want for Christmas?
A cattle dog pup! I fell in love with the two sweet cattle dogs that belong to some of my friends over the summer. A dog isn't in my near future, but look at that face!
A tropical vacation
A great new job
What do you want for Christmas?
Scary Claus
Over the next 10 days I'll be doing some posts about my favorite holiday traditions. Since the holidays can be a stressful time of year as well I thought it would be fun to talk about something I did NOT like as a kid about Christmas.
When I was a kid, I was terrified of Santa Claus. My mother was never one to make us do things we were afraid of, but she did occasionally ask me to go see Santa every other year or so. I would oblige, probably because I thought I wouldn't get any presents if I didn't. I would dread the event and always feel an immense sense of relief when it was over.
In my experience, there are generally two types of Santa Claus'. The first is the general mall/strip mall Santa. This guy looks like he hasn't slept in weeks and had a beer for breakfast. His suit is ratty and his beard resembles tangled fiberglass. I.e. the Santa from A Christmas Story. The second type of Santa is the Macy's Santa. This guy is actually an old dude with a white beard. He looks more like someone's grandpa than a guy that just got off a 5 day bender. He might be a little jolly around the mid-section and his pop-culture equivalent is the Santa from Miracle on 34th Street.
It seems that most of my childhood memories of visiting Santa more closely resemble the former version. The worst was at a strip mall in the town adjacent to where I grew up. He was scary, fake beard, and not the jolly old elf he was promised to be. As I walked up the cheesy candy-cane lane, that seemed a mile away from where my mother stood and waited, I could feel my heart beat quicken. I turned back and mother waved and smiled. I looked ahead to "Santa", sitting on his ply-wood and spray painted throne, hunched over and looking hung over. He perched me on his knee and asked the obligatory question, halitosis overwhelming his words. I blurted out the first thing I could think of, American Girl doll stuff and hoped that it would soon be over. We took a quick snapshot and my mother was given a Polaroid in a card stock frame.
The next time, we went to Macy's and stood in the impossibly long line to see Santa. I'm sure it was supposed to be better. After all, Santa actually was a jolly old man this time. He wasn't in a strip mall, his digs were far superior, but somehow it didn't matter. This visit was just as bad as the one before.
While an adult can make the distinctions between the two types of Santas, kids don't bother. And why should they? At the end of the day they're sitting on a stranger's lap either way. When you think about it, taking a child to sit on a strange man's lap in a mall is a bizarre and legitimately scary thing. When you take away the illusion of the spectacle, it's easy for adults to see why this could be such a terrifying event for a child.
Words to Live by
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
-Soren Kierkegaard
-Soren Kierkegaard
Mighty Oregon
I defended our team, because being a duck isn't about rankings, high profile boosters, or even how many uniform options you have. It's about the feeling in the air as you walk across the footbridge to Autzen Stadium on game day, a feeling that can only be equated to an adult's version of Christmas morning. It's about being on the other side of the country and seeing someone wearing the "O" and shaking hands. It's about supporting the PAC-10 as we consistently try to shed our underdog status. And it's about building an empire.
The state of Oregon has 1/10 the population of California. We have a small number of universities. Our economy has struggled, even when the country has experienced prosperity. I'm glad to see our great state be in the news for being among the best of the best at something. I believe Chip Kelly has kept the heads of our players on straight this season. As we rose in the rankings and continued to be undefeated he reminded them that can all change overnight. So thank you to Coach Kelly, to all the players and to Mike Bellotti who laid the groundwork. You've given us so many reasons to be proud to be ducks this year. The road has been paved for future teams, now it's time to build.
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