If you know me, you know that I have pretty bad taste in music. Or more accurately, no taste in music. I don't really listen to anything new, like ever. My standard fare is Steely Dan, America, or pretty much any 70s soft rock.
This year, I somehow branched out a little tiny bit. I guess the other thing you need to know about me is when I discover a new song that I like, I play that song and nothing else, repeatedly. For weeks. And weeks. It's a strange phenomenon. Also to note is that I don't listen to music all that much anyhow. I can't listen to it while I read or write because my brain can't do two things at once. And when I'm in the car I am listening to Howard Stern on Sirius.
All that being said, here are the two songs that I love love LOVED this year. I'm not even saying they're from this year. I just discovered that they existed this year.
The Last Ride is a bonus song from this year. Try not to love it.
Enjoy the ear worms.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Day 2 of 30 days of Yoga
Well, I really intended to make the 30 days be IN A ROW. But sadly, I way overdid it on day 1, so I was pretty sore and tired on Day 2. Plus I had class and that threw my whole schedule off. So today was Day 2, even though it should have been Day 3.
I was pressed for time, and so I picked one of the shorter videos on the Verge On Demand menu. Oooooof. I chose "Verge Simple Flow with Cara" because it was only 38 minutes. It was my first attempt at Flow yoga, and I guess I did okay. I also learned some new positions such as lizard and half pigeon, which were uncomfortable and lovely in the way that only yoga positions can be.
I was sore and sweaty, but a hot shower and some Advil took care of that. And at least I did it! Woohoo!!
I was pressed for time, and so I picked one of the shorter videos on the Verge On Demand menu. Oooooof. I chose "Verge Simple Flow with Cara" because it was only 38 minutes. It was my first attempt at Flow yoga, and I guess I did okay. I also learned some new positions such as lizard and half pigeon, which were uncomfortable and lovely in the way that only yoga positions can be.
I was sore and sweaty, but a hot shower and some Advil took care of that. And at least I did it! Woohoo!!
 |
| Yup, hurts so good! |
Sunday, December 7, 2014
30 days of yoga
Day 1
Well now that the semester is winding down, I have time to do things other than write papers. And I really need to get back into some sort of shape. My muscles are all jellified from all the milkshakes I've been getting at Shake Shack!
Basically, I'm too out of shape to even try to do yoga in front of other people at this point. No wait, I don't really care about them, but I don't feel like seeing myself in the mirrors at Verge. So I'm doing their yoga on demand for 30 days. Guys, I love Verge and I love their on demand videos available through vimeo.
Today I did "Verge Stability" with Cara. It was a good starting point for me, as it focused a lot on legs and breezed through the core stuff. Not too many planks. However, my legs are traditionally pretty solid, and this video shows me just how far I've fallen. I was so wobbly and sore. Somebody's gonna sleep good tonight.
My point in posting here is some sort of accountability, but I also hope to track my progress. And also, I can't emphasize enough how great the on demand is from Verge. I highly recommend it!
Check it out here!
Well now that the semester is winding down, I have time to do things other than write papers. And I really need to get back into some sort of shape. My muscles are all jellified from all the milkshakes I've been getting at Shake Shack!
Basically, I'm too out of shape to even try to do yoga in front of other people at this point. No wait, I don't really care about them, but I don't feel like seeing myself in the mirrors at Verge. So I'm doing their yoga on demand for 30 days. Guys, I love Verge and I love their on demand videos available through vimeo.
Today I did "Verge Stability" with Cara. It was a good starting point for me, as it focused a lot on legs and breezed through the core stuff. Not too many planks. However, my legs are traditionally pretty solid, and this video shows me just how far I've fallen. I was so wobbly and sore. Somebody's gonna sleep good tonight.
My point in posting here is some sort of accountability, but I also hope to track my progress. And also, I can't emphasize enough how great the on demand is from Verge. I highly recommend it!
Check it out here!
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Marmot caramels
When we were in Chamonix, I saw some cute little souvenir caramels. They had a cute little marmot on the package, and he was eating a caramel. First off, let me say that I have been to Swiss mountain towns twice (or 4 times if you count two different towns on two different trips). I have never once seen or heard a marmot. I'm pretty sure they don't exist. So honestly, the marmot on these caramels was the closest I was going to get to seeing a Marmot in Switzerland.
I had the vague notion that these caramels would be some sort of souvenir for someone back home. However, if you know me, you have probably never received a souvenir from me. Everything is so cute that I just end up keeping it for myself. I sometimes give Gavin the Happy Meal toys I get while I'm there, but that's about it. Selfish Kristin strikes again.
So naturally, I was feeling snacky one evening and decided to bust into the caramels. These caramels are flat. And hard and chewy. Not soft and squishy. And they were oh so delicious. I had a few in my bag when we returned to the states, but I ended up binge-eating them the day after we got back. Damn it. So now I'm on the hunt for these damn marmot caramels. There is no manufacturer on the package. I can find pictures of similar products online, but not a way to order them.
Online, the trader joe's caramels looked pretty similar and were only $2.99, so I ventured out to check them out this morning. For 3 bucks I can hardly go wrong. Well sadly, they are not flat and square, nor are they hard and chewy. Maaaaaaaybe if I stick them in the fridge they might be okay, but for now the search continues.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Fight or Flight
I have a ridiculous survival instinct. My goal, at any given moment, is to stay alive. It's a genetic gift handed down from prehistoric man. Our genes have one purpose....to pass on our genetic material. In order to do that, you need to stay alive. (I have no actual desire to have kids, but in theory my genes do.)
While my main goal is to stay alive, there are others whose goal is to live. Do you see the difference there? I'm trying to stay alive, but they're living.
I'll call them thrillseekers.
Mountain climbers are among those who I would have to classify as thrillseekers, or livers.
There's no evolutionary reason to climb a mountain. It makes absolutely no sense from a genetic standpoint. Sure, you could argue that a potential mate might see you as strong and therefore a viable candidate for mating, but that seems like a bit of a stretch.
Recently, Rod was watching a movie about people climbing K2, and I got sucked in. I'm no thrillseeker, but I do love reading about people who climb mountains. I do not understand why people climb (because it's there isn't really a valid reason for me) but I love watching them do it.
Last year, we did some hiking on the Eiger Trail. It's hiking, not climbing in any way. But there's a bit of a vertical gain and it's not exactly a walk in the park. About 30 minutes into our hike, I pretty much had a meltdown. It was really hard, and even though I had been training for the hike, nothing had really prepared me for the exhaustion that your muscles feel when you are doing this kind of hiking. (Like, you're looking straight up at where you have to go. It's not a fun sight.) I didn't really know how much further it was, or how much harder it was going to get. I figured if 30 minutes had mentally and physically drained me, I'd probably be better off cutting my losses and just turning around. Better safe than sorry, better to stay alive than risk the unknown. That is how my brain works. At all times.
Buuuuuuuuuut........I was in Switzerland. At the foot of the world-famous Eiger. On a hike with Rod. And I had been planning this for a few months. So I turned off my instinct to stay alive and decided to live instead. We hiked the 5 miles, ate a quick sandwich and then ran down the mountainside to catch the last train back to Grindelwald. It's one of my favorite memories ever but I still would prefer to read about climbing than do it.
(For a great read on mountain climbing, check out Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. I could not put it down...finished it in a night, which is pretty unusual for me....)
While my main goal is to stay alive, there are others whose goal is to live. Do you see the difference there? I'm trying to stay alive, but they're living.
I'll call them thrillseekers.
Mountain climbers are among those who I would have to classify as thrillseekers, or livers.
There's no evolutionary reason to climb a mountain. It makes absolutely no sense from a genetic standpoint. Sure, you could argue that a potential mate might see you as strong and therefore a viable candidate for mating, but that seems like a bit of a stretch.
Recently, Rod was watching a movie about people climbing K2, and I got sucked in. I'm no thrillseeker, but I do love reading about people who climb mountains. I do not understand why people climb (because it's there isn't really a valid reason for me) but I love watching them do it.
Last year, we did some hiking on the Eiger Trail. It's hiking, not climbing in any way. But there's a bit of a vertical gain and it's not exactly a walk in the park. About 30 minutes into our hike, I pretty much had a meltdown. It was really hard, and even though I had been training for the hike, nothing had really prepared me for the exhaustion that your muscles feel when you are doing this kind of hiking. (Like, you're looking straight up at where you have to go. It's not a fun sight.) I didn't really know how much further it was, or how much harder it was going to get. I figured if 30 minutes had mentally and physically drained me, I'd probably be better off cutting my losses and just turning around. Better safe than sorry, better to stay alive than risk the unknown. That is how my brain works. At all times.
Buuuuuuuuuut........I was in Switzerland. At the foot of the world-famous Eiger. On a hike with Rod. And I had been planning this for a few months. So I turned off my instinct to stay alive and decided to live instead. We hiked the 5 miles, ate a quick sandwich and then ran down the mountainside to catch the last train back to Grindelwald. It's one of my favorite memories ever but I still would prefer to read about climbing than do it.
(For a great read on mountain climbing, check out Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. I could not put it down...finished it in a night, which is pretty unusual for me....)
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