tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64080170095379446072024-02-20T20:11:22.016-05:00Sounds Like CanadaSoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.comBlogger479125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-48082612455433022462014-04-08T08:10:00.000-04:002014-04-08T08:10:09.030-04:00Grief<div class="MsoNormal">
I associate the month of April with grief. The first few
weeks are bookended with the anniversaries of two tragic events that occurred
while I was studying at IU, though neither involved anyone I was intimately close to. The first is on April 7, the day that Madeline (Maddie)
Spohr died in 2009. Her parents are friends of my brother and his wife –
Maddie’s dad, Mike, and my brother were friends in college and each was best man
for the other at their respective weddings. Maddie was born premature and with
many health complications to come, the result of under-developed lungs, if I
understand it correctly. During her short life, I followed her parents’ <a href="http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/living-with-loss/five-years-gone/">blogs</a> about her story and their experiences raising
her, from the NICU to their home. Maddie’s passing was tragic. I consider it a privilege
to read Mike and Heather’s accounts of their experience with grief and the
process of raising two more adorable and hilarious children.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Heather and Mike started a charity - <a href="http://friendsofmaddie.org/">Friends of Maddie</a> - to support families of
children like Maddie. Together with their family and friends, they also raise a ton of money for the <a href="http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=254484&ct=4&w=6645261&u=marchformaddie">March of Dimes</a> each
year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The second tragic event that I associate with April happened
on April 20, 2006, the morning that <a href="http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/3358.html">five IU music students were killed in a plane crash</a> on their way back to Bloomington from a rehearsal in another town.
The five of them – all singers - were well known in the music school and their
deaths utterly transformed the school for the rest of the term. Several courses
canceled their finals, no one went to class the day after it happened, and
especially since I was a singer, most of my friends and I spent the whole next week
going to a different memorial service every day. It was rough, but it was also
a remarkable time at IU. It felt so personal. It felt like everyone actually
cared about each other. And it reminded us all that our grades and our recital
dresses weren’t the most important things. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I mark both of these deaths each year in various private
ways. I always donate to Heather and Mike’s March of Dimes team and I usually
spend a few minutes on the 20<sup>th</sup> reflecting on each of the five IU
students. I’m now older than they were when they died, which is hard to
believe. From Heather’s writing, I gather that one of the most important things
is to simply remember them. I think of these two events similarly, as they both
involved children – even though the IU students were in their 20s – whose
parents now live without them. <a href="http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/living-with-loss/">Heather has written</a> that the scariest thing now
is that we’ll all forget Maddie, that no one will talk to her about Maddie,
that we’ll all let April 7<sup>th</sup> pass without thinking about her.
Truthfully, I think of Maddie and the victims of the plane crash often, not
just in April, but I make a special effort on those days to remember what it
was like then. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s always struck me that I associate April with grief,
because I also associate April with life. It’s the time of year when the snow
actually starts to melt and we see the first green shoots around campus. It’s
the time of year when a lot of wildlife starts to return to Ontario (or pass
through on the way further north). In our area, it’s the time when we regain
hope that winter will truly end. More frequent sunny and warm days mean we all
shake off our collective SADs and spend more time outside. I associate April with
feeling alive again, and I try to remember that as I grieve and mark the
premature passings of these people who were too young and so talented. I’m not
grateful for their deaths, but I try to be grateful for the things I’ve learned
from grieving them: finals aren’t the most important thing, grades don’t
determine human worth. My sanity and health are worth more than a clean paper
draft. This year, 5 years after Maddie’s passing and 8 years since the plane
crash, I want to focus on the feeling of being alive and remember that it, too,
is a privilege. <o:p></o:p></div>
SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-81784757567258110332014-04-04T12:21:00.001-04:002014-04-04T12:21:38.518-04:00Masters Swimming Ontario Provincial Championships 2014<div>
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<br />
Last weekend John and I went to Windsor for the <a href="http://2014provincialchampionships.com/">2014 Masters Swimming Ontario Provincial Championship</a>.<br />
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It was held at the <a href="http://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/Recreation/aquatics/windsor-international-aquatic-and-training-centre/Pages/default.aspx">Windsor International Aquatic and Training Center</a>, a brand new facility that really knocked my socks off. The pool was beautiful and there was a nice seating area above it with a lot of natural light. But, even more amazing, they also had this indoor water park in the next room:</div>
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I kind of wanted to ditch the meet and go hang out in there. If I were a kid in Windsor I would want to be there 24/7.</div>
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My first event, 100m free, was on Saturday morning. My time: 1:17:11. Faster than my seed time but basically the same as I swam two weeks ago at a time trial. It's hard to make big improvements in this distance in a period of weeks. Every second means a lot in the short distances so I was pleased that I was able to maintain the same time as the time trial. Over all, I've dropped over two and a half minutes in that event over the course of the year.<br />
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In the afternoon I also swam the 50m free in 34:08. That was a drop of more than 3 and a half minutes over the course of the season, but again, the same basic time I'd achieved a couple weeks prior. It's even harder to drop seconds in the 50m free and I'm happy that I maintained the same time. That race didn't go quite as I'd hoped. I only planned on taking one breath on the first length, but I got too much water in my mouth and had to take two more before the turn. But I did as well as I could.<br />
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50m start:</div>
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50m after the turn:</div>
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The final event on Saturday was the 400m free, which I entered sort of on a whim. I wanted to do about 4 events, mostly on Saturday, and it seemed like the lesser of the other evils. In high school, I only ever swam this event once, after which my coach and I agreed that it was just not the event for me. But things change. The shorter, faster distances seem to get harder to maintain as I get older. As my current coach, Alex, pointed out, our triathlon club training is geared more toward longer distances so it's no wonder that this distance is starting to agree with me.<br />
In the fall, at a time trial held at practice, I swam the 400m in 7:30. About 3 weeks before Provincials, I swam it in 6:35 and I was shocked and thrilled with the huge drop. Then, about 2 weeks before, I swam 6:07 at a time trial, so I was hoping to come in around the same time (especially since the two other times had basically stayed the same). Instead, I came in at 6:00:07. Third place in my age group! They organized the heats for this event by seed time (instead of by age) so my 7:30 seed time put me in a very slow heat. I lapped the other people in the heat more than once, but I knew it wouldn't effect the over all place until all the 30-34 swimmers had finished. But after I learned that I got 3rd place, I went to the lobby to collect my medal.<br />
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I'm still shocked by the 400. It was never my event. I was never a distance person (and in a lot of ways I still prefer the mental aspect of the shorter races). But this one has changed my mind. In large part, I think the improvement comes from my coach, Alex, who gave me a new strategy for the 400. It goes like this:<br />
150 "easy speed," just maintaining something fast but holding back a bit<br />
100 build, increasing speed<br />
150 everything you have left.<br />
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I think I can work on this to improve my time and go below the 6 minute mark. I think I'm still sandbagging a bit too much at the beginning (all the distance stuff still seems so new). But mentally this just makes it so much easier and I had enough left to really haul ass on the last 50 meters.<br />
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This picture is from just after I finished. If you expand the pic, you can probably see my name on the black and white screen up top. Only three times are listed because only three of us were done and mine has the (1) next to it. Woohoo!<br />
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My final event was the 100m IM on Sunday morning. I swam it in 1:30:04. That was probably less than a second slower than I swam it two weeks before, but I had to just let it go. Competing in short spurts with long stretches in between was much harder mentally than I'm used to right now. It's still a drop of almost 3 minutes over the course of the year and I have to feel good about that.<br />
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This year has been tough, mentally and physically. Since my dissertation proposal was approved in May I've been writing as fast as possible and I've felt the pressure of the clock as I try to finish my degree. I also haven't made as much progress as I would have liked in terms of healing my stress fracture. After 6 months without running I went to the doctor, who really didn't have much more to say. I've had an MRI and I'm in physical therapy, and I just have to wait until it feels better. Not running has been hard in some ways - I missed doing the fall races and running in the beautiful fall weather (although I can't say I was sorry to miss running in the horrible Winter we've had). I'd still like to be able to run with the dog. But honestly, I'm kind of over it. I kind of don't care anymore if I get to run again. I'd just like it to not hurt while I'm walking around. My PT likes to hear that because it means I won't run again until I'm absolutely ready, but it feels more like apathy than patience.<br />
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In light of all that, returning to swimming and discovering the Triathlon Club have both been such blessings this year. I sacrifice much less for swimming than I did for running, in terms of injuries and time, and I get a lot more in return. It's so apparent that I'm a much better and more efficient swimmer than I ever was a runner. Swimming in meets has been fun, but I also get so much enjoyment and stress relief just by getting in the water. I'm grateful that I've been able to do that this year. Plus I've made new friends on the Triathlon Club and I've gotten to experience some multi-sport events as part of a relay team. If I can run in the fall, then I'll participate in those events as an individual, and that would be nice. But I can still enjoy masters swimming without all of the physical pain I had to endure to run long distances.<br />
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Swimming all the time has had a visible affect on my body. I'm not as lean as I was when I ran all the time and it's been hard to understand that as it's happened. In the past I had used my body weight to determine how healthy I was and I've been challenged to measure my health in other ways this year, while still trying to maintain a healthy weight. The Provincial meet was interesting on that front, too. Lots of the participants are older - I think the oldest woman was 88 and she swam the 200m free! - and you know old ladies are uninhibited in the locker room! I saw more naked old ladies than...I normally do. I also saw some women much closer to my age and even a few years younger who were clearly competitive swimmers all their lives and were built like tanks. Impressive, strong tanks built from pure muscle. They weren't thin, either. It occurred to me that they probably have trouble shopping for clothes, too. It was really encouraging to see these women who didn't fit the conventional feminine body type but who were absolutely killing it in the pool.<br />
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John and I were both way too impressed with Windsor in this way that makes me think it's time to leave London. Windsor seemed to draw more money from tourism, being a border town, and that meant more interesting restaurants and bars than we have in London (of course, if I lived there for a year I might change my mind). We ate at some fun restaurants: <a href="http://www.theloosegoose.ca/">The Loose Goose</a> (great happy hour specials), <a href="http://carrotsndates.com/">Carrots and Dates Cafe</a> (perfect mid-day swim meet veg food), and <a href="http://www.capripizza.ca/">Capri's Pizza</a>. Sharing an excellent pizza and a bottle of wine while watching House Hunters was the perfect activity for Saturday night after a day of competition. John also enjoyed a trip to <a href="http://www.saluteespressobar.com/">Salute Espresso</a> in between the morning and afternoon events. We also had a great brunch at the <a href="http://www.thetwistedapron.com/">Twisted Apron</a> on Sunday before leaving town.<br />
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Just before dinner on Saturday we went to the tap room of the <a href="http://walkervillebrewery.com/">Walkerville Brewing Co</a>. This picture obviously doesn't do this beer any justice, but I had the milk stout and it was pretty great. We were impressed with everything we tried. The only one I didn't get to try was the IPA, but the Kolsch, the lager, and the milk stout were all A+. The brewery is fairly new so they are still in the process of getting ready to distribute. They said they expect to have cans in the LCBO by this summer and I would definitely buy their beer.<br />
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The Provincial meet was the last big meet of the year for the masters swimming community. In the mean time, there's a more informal summer meet in London that I hope to do in July. And this weekend is the Western Triathln Club Spring Fling - 500m swim + 5K run or 750 swim +7K run, or a relay. I'm swimming in a relay and I'm thrilled that I get to participate. After I swim I'll be there to time other participants and help keep things running smoothly. I didn't know I was swimming in it until two days before and it may be hard to compete two weekends in a row. But the point is just to have fun and get more points for Western so I'm pretty excited!<br />
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Also, classes end for me on Monday which means I can finally write at home in my py-jams instead of coming into campus to teach. Hooray for "summer" break!SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-49470574268889196962014-03-30T20:16:00.001-04:002014-03-30T20:16:02.557-04:00End of March RoundupWho's got two thumbs and wrote two blog posts in the month of March? This gal!<br />
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Again, all I have in me is a list of things that have happened this month. I intend to write soon about swimming in the Masters Provincial Championships, but you know, promises, promises.<br />
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<b>1. It's still Winter...kind of. </b><br />
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Some of us are more fazed by it than others.<br />
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It helps if you have a warm nest next to the heating vent.</div>
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I'm now supposed to be going for "fitness walks" in order to strengthen my foot for physical therapy. Last weekend BoBo and I headed to Springbank for a wintery walk. It was cold but we made it 2 miles!</div>
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BoBo still doesn't really get selfies.</div>
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<b>2. John and I tried out a new cafe in town</b> - <a href="http://edgarandjoes.ca/">Edgar and Joe's Cafe</a> - located inside the Goodwill local headquarters, adjacent to an actual Goodwill store in the same building. It was a pleasant place to study with lots of space, natural light, and free wifi. We'll definitely be back. Also, if you're London: breakfast all day.</div>
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<b>3. Another one of my Interlochen classmates is getting famous. </b>Allie X (or, my classmate formerly known as Allie Hughes) lives in Toronto and also, now, L.A. She released a couple of singles and I think they're pretty fun! You can listen to them <a href="https://soundcloud.com/alliexandra">here</a>. I should dig up some old photos from us in our Halloween costumes in junior year of high school. </div>
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<b>4. The Triathlon Club had a girls' night</b> a couple weeks ago. It was wild - WILD, I tell you! Actually it involved dinner at Mongolian Grill and then froyo. At the froyo place I found this board game: </div>
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I regret so much that we didn't play it. Also, it turns out that all those ladies train so much that by 8:30 we were all too tired to do anything else so we went home to go to bed. In all seriousness, I love that there are so many fit and strong ladies in the TriClub. The executive board is almost all badass chicks.</div>
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<b>5. We also had the Triathlon Club end of the year banquet last week. </b>There were elections for next year's board, a fun side show, and pad thai! And, I won the (female) swimming award! I was so touched by this. My coach, Alex, has made an enormous difference in my swimming this. And so has my lane-mate, Dan. I've gotten faster just by trying to keep up with him!</div>
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<b>6. Please enjoy these promotional videos for Calgary </b>("<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA5VnKimBRs">Hello Calgary</a>!") <b>and, separately, Ontario</b> ("<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYwS8XataJg">There's no place like this!</a>"). "This is Ontario, Y'all!" That made me laugh so hard. I heard about the Calgary one on This American Life and it immediately made me think of the Ontario commercial. It also makes me think of the time Fort Wayne commissioned of those new town mottos. They came up with this: "Fort Wayne - <a href="http://www.roomfordreams.com/">Still Room for Dreams</a>."</div>
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<b>7. A few weeks ago I joined a group called Barley's Angels,</b> a group for women who are beer enthusiasts. I attended a group event at <a href="http://www.brewhaven.on.ca/">Brewhaven</a> where we made two different kinds of beer and learned about the beer making process. I loved it! As a music theorist with a composition background, I'm very accustomed to male-dominated environments and I often feel comfortable in them. But it was nice to have an all-women group that was led by a women who knows a lot about beer. There was no mansplaining to endure. My friend, Grace (below), introduced me to the group. Brewhaving also seems like a neat place. It's out of my price range to go there as an individual but as a group it was pretty great. It also convinced me that I would never want to make beer at home. WAY too many variables and it's too easy to contaminate something and screw it all up. But I enjoyed going through the process with their equipment and expertise!</div>
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Here's Grace stirring the malts in our brown bitter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1tv9FyVMER5BnNTg1P0YQGL4guuk_WVYMb7wnhv-B0U7rc-7qcREuUOLf_cimW_5SuYJIFCFeb5MPxeYYUGfhWMN6TQkS9FxF87IL3B9dpPEi2jCddcJwT8wZrCwlUNdu9WqY79NqF4d/s1600/IMG_3283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1tv9FyVMER5BnNTg1P0YQGL4guuk_WVYMb7wnhv-B0U7rc-7qcREuUOLf_cimW_5SuYJIFCFeb5MPxeYYUGfhWMN6TQkS9FxF87IL3B9dpPEi2jCddcJwT8wZrCwlUNdu9WqY79NqF4d/s1600/IMG_3283.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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The tank from above. The grains are in those bags hanging from the side. The malt and syrop are in the center/strainer looking thing.<br />
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In one of the storage rooms they had this cool medieval print of a monk making beer.</div>
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We finished the day with a canning demo. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the canning day, but I'm going to pick up my beer soon. I'm looking forward to trying it!</div>
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<b> 8. I'm one chapter away from a complete draft </b>(though early draft) of my dissertation. Here's Rameau's signature. I think it looks a bit like a bird looking through a hoop, if you look at it just right. I've been outlining it like mad and editing chapter 1. I'm still not sure if I can defend in the summer or the fall, but I it will become clear in a couple of months (or rather, it has to, if I'm going to defend in the summer).<br />
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The temperature highs are supposed to be above 30F all this week! Fingers crossed that Spring is actually coming!</div>
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<br />SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-70890934048884028352014-03-01T20:03:00.000-05:002014-03-01T20:03:19.928-05:00Four<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I guess I'm down to one blog post per month (or less...it's March). </div>
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Guess who's birthday it is! </div>
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<b>It's Morgan's birthday! </b>I wish we were in Memphis to celebrate it with her. </div>
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<b>Also, it's Bobo's birthday. She is four today.</b></div>
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<b>"Bon Anniversaire à Moi."</b> </div>
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(Not enjoying this birthday selfie)</div>
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Bobo got to celebrate her birthday with her favorite things: an extra long trip to the dog park (that photo is from a different day, but you get the picture) followed by an extra long nap and then a special doggie "cannoli" from the Village Tail. </div>
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<b>In other news, winter continues to be the worst.</b></div>
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Western has taken to dumping all the snow from the parking lots into the field between the music school and the gym. I tried to take a picture of it with my face in the foreground for scale but it doesn't really communicate how snowy it is. John said it looks like a scale model of the Alps and I said it looks more like the Aggro Crag. </div>
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A couple of weeks ago we ventured to Indiana for the IU Graduate Theory Symposium. I gave a paper that I made out of various chunks of Chapter 4. It went better than I kind of expected. Successfully answering questions about my dissertation always gives me a lot of hope - it turns out, I know more about Rameau and 18th century French science than the average person. Or even the average music theorist.</div>
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We've been doing various things to take respite from the cold. Last night we met up with our friends GK and DK for some beer tasting. GK prepared this lovely fruit and cheese plate. Nothing like tropical fruit to help us feel like summer!</div>
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I got my hair trimmed today for the first time since the summer. I've decided to grow it out while I write my dissertation and then cut it off after I defend. I'll post some updates along the way. Maybe if it gets long enough I'll donate it afterward. That way something positive will come of my dissertation time either way...right? </div>
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Going to the gym with John in the Winter is pretty great. He wears a lot of fun clothing combos. I think he was really happy on the inside that I took this photo.</div>
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A few weeks ago I went to Toronto with some members of the UWO Triathlon club to participate in the <a href="http://harthouse.ca/events/21st-annual-indoor-triathlon/">Hart House Indoor Triathlon</a>. I'm still injured (long story for the next post...in, like, three months), but I was able to put together a relay with our spin instructor and her boyfriend. I handled the swim leg and it was really fun! The indoor tri deal was that you were given 15 minutes per event and they kept track of how far you went. I was able to complete 950 meters in the 15 minutes and I was really happy with that. Having never done an event like that before, I decided to shoot for 800 meters and just see what happened. So 950 was pretty great! Here's a photo that one of my teammates grandma took. Those two on the left are Michelle and Mikaela, kindly cheering for me as I swam along the wall. </div>
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I only have a few weeks until the Ontario Masters Provincial Championships in Windsor! I may have 4 of my 5 total chapters written by then! That would make me want to swim extra fast to celebrate. </div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-19634868573944842512014-01-28T21:30:00.000-05:002014-01-28T21:30:45.645-05:002014Hey there, blog. I took a not so little break during Christmas and I've been dragging my feet when it comes to blogging. And basically for no good reason. I finished Gym Christmas with a swimming work out that never made it onto the blog and then I enjoyed several days in a row where I barely touched my computer.<br />
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Christmas at my parents' in Indiana was great, as usual. I spent a lot of time with Mr. Tobes and a lot of time doing nothing. But because of the timeline for SMT submissions, I also spent a bunch of time editing a conference paper and an abstract that were both due in early January.<br />
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Other highlights: Mom took us to an IU game!</div>
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BoBo decided that my parents' fireplace is her favorite spot in the world. </div>
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My mom graciously offered to help out with some dental bills I had in the fall, so I got a crown for Christmas! Not wanting John to feel left out, she got him a paper crown, shown here. </div>
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She also got us this large bottle of tequila and we had margarita Christmas once again. Never gets old.</div>
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Dave and Carla came to town for the day. Naturally, we began with a visit to the Spoon, then a walk around campus, and finally, board games with fancy beer at the house.</div>
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John's grandpa came to visit and at the end of his trip, we took him back to catch the bus in Indianapolis. Mom suggested we take in a museum and have lunch at Three Sisters in Broad Ripple. We had a nice time visiting Indy with Mom. It made all three of us want to go back again (to the <a href="http://www.ncaahallofchampions.org/index.php">NCAA Hall of Champions,</a> perhaps?). Here's John modeling his "I <3 actual="" christmas="" for="" got="" he="" hot="" p="" sauce.="" shirt="" some="" sriracha="" that="" with=""><br />
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Nearer to the end of break, we rang in the New Year with Mark and friends, including Amanda. She was dressed the sparkliest so she descended the stairs at midnight, in place of a glittery ball in Times Square. </div>
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And since then, lots of other mundane but good things have happened. I will deliver the current 2014 highlights in a conveniently lazy list format. </div>
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<b>1. I decided to join the whole TriClub</b> (rather than just the swimming) with the hopes of being able to run at some point in the next few months. I now think the expectation of running so soon was unrealistic (a topic for another time), but I'm really enjoying the rest of the club. I can go to spin class on Monday and Friday, swim three days a week like before, plus they also do strength training and a mystery workout on Wednesday. I don't typically make it to all that, but it's nice to have so many structured work outs available. Also, I'm having so much success with massage therapy that I really haven't had one of my motion sickness episodes in a while, and spin class doesn't make me motion sick! </div>
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It turns out, triathlon club members get up VERY EARLY, so I'm still trying to get adjusted to that. But I think that it's actually going to help me graduate. I get up early for the work out and then I'm up. I get in 2-3 hours of solid dissertation time before lunch, or a solid single hour before I teach. It's pretty awesome. Of course, I also fall asleep around 9:30 every night. </div>
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I'm going to an indoor triathlon in Toronto in a couple of weeks to swim as part of a relay and I hope to post about what that's like. In general, it is so nice to have a group of people to spend time with who have no idea who Rameau is. </div>
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<b>2. Speaking of Rameau, a week or so ago, I went to Tallahassee, FL </b>to talk about Rameau. I presented a chunk of Chapter 4 at their Forum, a conference run by grad students. Even though it was "cold" for Tallahassee, it was nice to get a break from our weather and enjoy some 50 degree days. I also go to catch up with Little Gillian, a former UWO student who's now ABD (time flies!) at Florida State. </div>
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Side note: I have two friends named Gillian/Djillian/Jillian. I met them both at Western, neither of them goes here now, and both have attended FSU. Both currently live in Florida. Yet I don't think they've ever met. This is not the premise of a riddle. </div>
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I also get to present "Rameau and Friends/Frenemies"* at the IU student conference during "spring" break. I'm lucky to have gotten on two fairly economical conferences - one where I could stay with a friend, and one in my parents' town. </div>
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<b>3. And speaking of my dissertation,</b> I actually felt really good coming back to school and starting 2014 because <b>THIS IS GOING TO BE THE YEAR</b>: I am going to finish this dissertation, come hell or high water. My current plan is to defend late in the summer, or, if everyone important is still out of town, in the early fall. Of course, I'm meeting with my advisor this week and he may put the ki-bosh on all of that. Still, I've got a lot of stuff written and I feel good about the progress I've made. I've also learned that writing and presenting conference papers on my dissertation topic is, on the one hand, more efficient than on unrelated topics, but ultimately still a time suck. After the IU conference, I'm done for the school year. </div>
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<b>4. While stuck on the tarmac on the plane coming back from FL, I read most of Rachel Dratch's book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Walks-into-Bar-Calamities/dp/1592407579">A Girl Walks into a Bar</a>.</b> And it's great! If you liked <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bossypants-Tina-Fey/dp/0316056898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390961941&sr=1-1&keywords=bossypants">Bossypants</a> by Tina Fey, or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Hanging-Without-Other-Concerns/dp/0307886271">Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me?</a> by Mindy Kahling, you will probably enjoy this book. Parts of it made me laugh out loud and others were simply touching and clever. I highly recommend it. Have you read anything by a woman comic lately? If so, please send me the title! Also, when is Amy Poehler going to write her own hilarious and brilliant memoir? All the cool ladies are doing it!</div>
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<b>4. It's cold here, like it is everywhere else, apparently.</b> Western canceled class on Day #2 of the semester and I think they vowed never to do it again. But, you know, it's Canada. It's colder than in previous years, but enduring the cold winter is a point of national pride, so they don't complain the same way Americans do. They seem especially excited about the cold because of the upcoming Winter Olympics. If you have a few minutes to kill, check out #WeAreWinter on the twitters. You'll see what I mean.</div>
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<b>5. I signed up for the Ontario Masters Provincial Championships </b>swim meet in March. There's no minimum qualifying time and it's in Windsor (about 2 hours away), so woohoo! I'm doing the 50M, 100M, and 400M Freestyle (400! What am I thinking!!), and the 100 IM. It's so exciting to have an actual event to train for. I'm sure I'll post here about the weekend in Windsor after it happens.</div>
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And with that, it's 9:30. I've been up since 5:15! Time for bed!</div>
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If you're reading this, then I hope your Near Year has been great so far!</div>
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*Not the real title. In case you're curious, the real title was, "Rameau, Voltaire, Castel, and Public Image in Enlightenment Music Theory."</div>
<br /></3>SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-60950747146762416382013-12-16T20:46:00.002-05:002013-12-16T20:46:34.040-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS Day 10: Game of Chores, and Day 11: The First Rule of Athletic Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the <b>10th day of GYM CHRISTMAS</b> John and I teamed up to <b>Make a Game of Household Chores</b>. We wrote down about 6 chores that needed doing and each drew one out of my IU can coolie, shown here.</div>
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I drew "pick stuff up," so I walked around putting things away and tidying up the house. We don't have a huge apartment so that took me probably 30 minutes. Meanwhile, John drew "process nuclear waste," which was our phrase for "clean out the fridge." I only meant for him to throw out the old food and organize it a bit. But by the time I was done picking stuff up he had removed all the shelves and all the food and was in the process of scrubbing the whole thing down. Naturally this is a job for more than one person so I joined in. </div>
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It turns out the real game was "clean with your spouse without having a giant fight." So that was awesome. The fridge won the game since it came away cleaner than before and without any battle scars. The coolie still has some chores inside it so we may return to that game another day. I didn't get a good before shot of the fridge, but here's the after: </div>
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Today John and I both completed <b>Investigate and Share</b>, for me <b>Day 11 of GYM CHRISTMAS</b>. We investigated the <a href="http://www.theathleticclubs.ca/">Athletic Club</a>, part of a chain of gyms around town. I happened to get a couple of free 7-day passes when I had fro-yo with the Triathlon Club a while back. We decided to try it out today, though somehow we didn't realize that the first visit would require a pitch from one of their costumer service staff plus a tour. The woman we spoke to was very nice and answered our questions, though that made the whole visit longer than we planned. I'd say the place was fine, no better, no worse. The locker room wasn't packed at 4pm like Western's would be and it was a lot newer inside. But the rest of the gym was very comparable. They do have a women-only section that was spacious and a separate entrance. I'm sad that those things are necessary but I guess I'm glad they have them. Everything else I felt was more or less the same as at school, but the membership is more expensive. If I weren't a student at Western and I were still living here, I would still get a UWO membership because of the convenience and price. And if not Western then the YMCA (members can go to any YMCA in North America!) because the pool is kind of a deal breaker for me. Athletic Club does have a pool, but it's smaller and had no lane lines and just wasn't my thing. But the place seemed ok. If I lived closer to that gym than to the school gym, I would consider it. </div>
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My bigger problem was the vibe rubbed me the wrong way somehow. They have posters everywhere that I felt were trying to up-sell you on your membership or get you to promote the Athletic Club to your friends. As John will tell you, I'm no fun for sales people. That kind of constant promotion makes me uncomfortable. Somehow the emphasis to me seemed to be about becoming skinny, though there was no particular thing about the place telling me that. It's just different from a university setting. The biggest thing I learned was that I like the gym at Western, so go figure.</div>
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Of course, now I like the idea of getting trial memberships at other gyms for comparison. Maybe I'll take a tour of the YMCA next time I'm in the neighborhood.</div>
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<b>Here is my GYM CHRISTMAS list now:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Go for a Pre- or Post-Dinner Walk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Yuletide Cheer</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Crank Up the Music and Boogie Down</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Hazardous Waste Removal</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Sneak a Work Out into Another Activity</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Turn TV Commercials into Fitness Breaks</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Muscle-Building/Strength Training</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Animal Time</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Seven-Minute Work-Out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">One more day to go! I anticipate finishing my 12th day (muscle building and strength training) on Wednesday or just after we get to Bloomington.</span></div>
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This weekend I made a couple of cocktails out of things I happened to have at hand. I give you: a modified tequila sunrise that I dubbed the <b>Christmas Morning: </b></div>
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<b>1 oz tequila (or more if you want it stronger)</b></div>
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<b>ice cubes</b></div>
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<b>1-2 tbs cranberry mixture*</b></div>
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<b>Combine and serve.</b></div>
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<b>*For the mix, I put 1 cup of semi-thawed (previously frozen) cranberries + 1 tbs sugar +1/4 water in the food processor until it was finely chopped. </b></div>
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I could never get that mixture as fine as I wanted, but it did the job. And it looked lovely! The combination of flavors was perfect. I only used 1 oz per drink of tequila because that's how much we had left. So long, tequila.</div>
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Next, I made a <b>Cranberry-Ginger Vodka Spritzer</b> with the following:</div>
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<b>*This was the same cranberry mix as above + 1 tbs fresh ginger, minced. </b></div>
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We really liked this drink, too! The lime is the right final touch. Both of these drinks would be good non-alcoholic drinks for the holidays if you omit the liquor. I think the Christmas Morning was my favorite.</div>
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And finally, here are some gratuitous pictures of BoBo getting into the Christmas spirit.</div>
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<b>"What's up in that tree? Is it SANTA?!"</b></div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-79920312074880847442013-12-13T07:58:00.000-05:002013-12-16T20:17:22.826-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS Day 9: BoBo Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday for the 9th day of GYM CHRISTMAS I celebrated "Animal Time." Spending time with my parents' dogs has always been one of the highlights of the holidays for me, and this year my excitement is 100% bigger because of BoBo's arrival (though it is more than a little diminished by <a href="http://soundslikecanada.blogspot.ca/2013/10/little-molls.html">Molly's departure</a>). </div>
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BoBo is fortunate in that we spend a ton of time with her. Unlike a lot of greyhounds, she gets to go to work with us most days of the week and we often take her with us when we go places. So for Animal Time, I made an extra effort to take her on a real walk during the noon hour, instead of just taking her out for a bathroom break. Of course it was extra cold on the the day I chose to give her a longer walk.</div>
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She also hung out with me all morning while I worked and then all evening at school while John gave his students' their final. Having her has made this semester so much better. At the end of the day, her lack of sympathy is kind of nice. BoBo doesn't really care how much writing I got done or how bad I think it is. She still needs to go to the dog park and let loose, or she still demands affection at certain times. It's a good reminder that my problems aren't that huge.</div>
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Here are some recent BoBo pics. Not that this blog is lacking a lot of photos of her.</div>
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Staring at food she can't have.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudjDXPc3sd7aSCs0zc3MoHduYgEjFlVqtV_4t2eSRuoFmIJdXLbp8zRtNDC4HZxGMxv6VKqLmd3wJIJ33tH88VV2iuGrn1WuY7I1oh8ZHT2zCmkbNcmKP5_RSnz6BoLArHWQeqlLXlYIF/s1600/IMG_6806.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudjDXPc3sd7aSCs0zc3MoHduYgEjFlVqtV_4t2eSRuoFmIJdXLbp8zRtNDC4HZxGMxv6VKqLmd3wJIJ33tH88VV2iuGrn1WuY7I1oh8ZHT2zCmkbNcmKP5_RSnz6BoLArHWQeqlLXlYIF/s400/IMG_6806.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Looking quizzically at my computer. I was watching a video of puppies learning to howl and the noises fascinated her.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iIQWM8_NRlBHCV3FQYYV7EtjglShta1cURJ-P41MIvcErF8n6E1A05xZnBzTykUQijBrkqJZxurKRGRaR6vid5JbXtxchZRBZyUe5Zg0ijIxTKf61KtcF82S7HroWe1zZDfvDZmP3r1d/s1600/IMG_8093.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iIQWM8_NRlBHCV3FQYYV7EtjglShta1cURJ-P41MIvcErF8n6E1A05xZnBzTykUQijBrkqJZxurKRGRaR6vid5JbXtxchZRBZyUe5Zg0ijIxTKf61KtcF82S7HroWe1zZDfvDZmP3r1d/s400/IMG_8093.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Even though BoBo time is pretty much all the time at our house, it felt good to single her out for a special day during GYM CHRISTMAS.<br />
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Today is December 13th! If you still want to participate in Gym Christmas, you can start today and you'll still be able to complete it - and receive a sweet prize from my friend the DJ.<br />
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<b>Here is my GYM CHRISTMAS list now:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Go for a Pre- or Post-Dinner Walk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Yuletide Cheer</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Make a Game of Household Chores</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Crank Up the Music and Boogie Down</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Hazardous Waste Removal</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Regular Water Consumption</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Investigate and Share</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Sneak a Work Out into Another Activity</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Turn TV Commercials into Fitness Breaks</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Muscle-Building/Strength Training</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Animal Time</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Seven-Minute Work-Out.</span></div>
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<br />SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-83992958456453034862013-12-09T21:01:00.003-05:002013-12-09T21:01:37.156-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS Day 8: Nutcracker Yoga<br />
Today I finished GYM CHRISTMAS Day 8: Crank up the music and boogie down. I wanted to get in a moderate work out before dinner but since I have plans to swim early in the morning, I didn't want to do anything too severe. So I did one of my usual December work outs: the same series of yoga poses I like to do, accompanied by selections from the Nutcracker. It's nice to do balancing poses to lyrical, graceful lines in the Snow pas de deux. This way I managed not to make myself too sore but I somewhat made up for the fact that I ate junk food for dinner last night.<br />
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Here's one of the beers we tasted with our friends, Grace and Douglas: The Ommegang Take the Black, one of their Game of Thrones beers.<b> Game of Thrones Beer!! </b><br />
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For lack of a more appropriate, ballet-themed picture (and there are some Nutcracker photos of me in my parents' house somewhere), here is a picture of our horn Christmas ornament. The Nutcracker has a lot of prominent horn parts, right?</div>
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<b>Here is my GYM CHRISTMAS list now:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Go for a Pre- or Post-Dinner Walk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Yuletide Cheer</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Make a Game of Household Chores</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Crank Up the Music and Boogie Down</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Hazardous Waste Removal</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Regular Water Consumption</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Investigate and Share</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Sneak a Work Out into Another Activity</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Turn TV Commercials into Fitness Breaks</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Muscle-Building/Strength Training</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Animal Time</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Seven-Minute Work-Out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Only four days left of GYM CHRISTMAS 2013! But in case you haven't started, it is still physically possible for you to complete GYM CHRISTMAS if you start in the next two days. So go for it!</span></div>
SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-12652116136552712592013-12-08T17:22:00.002-05:002013-12-08T17:22:31.098-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS Days 6 and 7: No pain, no gain, and Taking Out the (Mental) Trash<br />
I neglected to post a second time yesterday so today I'm covering two days worth of Gym Christmas activities.<br />
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<b>Day 6: Turn Commercial Breaks into Fitness Breaks.</b> Since we don't have cable, I just made a point of stretching and foam rolling during our ongoing marathon of Game of Thrones.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XBB0o9P9UzKy5SYnxlIy_LPGJnwHxOKURX8HNfSYzNbHiCvXNnzlh8DA-jNW51aXWSPJ39iwYowLa6qBroDwtiaob9nu2zGZp-pXc9-oDffT2jZpV5sOy1kNln-ReHeDqV0VKMyCjF2H/s1600/IMG_2846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XBB0o9P9UzKy5SYnxlIy_LPGJnwHxOKURX8HNfSYzNbHiCvXNnzlh8DA-jNW51aXWSPJ39iwYowLa6qBroDwtiaob9nu2zGZp-pXc9-oDffT2jZpV5sOy1kNln-ReHeDqV0VKMyCjF2H/s400/IMG_2846.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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This Christmas, give yourself the gift of injury prevention. I highly recommend the foam rollers by <a href="http://www.tptherapy.com/">Trigger Point</a>. It hurts like you wouldn't believe, but it pays off. <b>Day 6: check.</b></div>
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This morning, John and I went to the Christmas Pageant at my church because it is easily one of the most entertaining things I see all year. Little kids reading lines, pretending to be Mary and Joseph, carrying around a big stick with a donkey's head on it (to represent the donkey, duh), a kid dressed as one of the three kings holding a bar that said "GOLD" on it, just to make sure you know he's rich. It's non-stop laughs. Then the new rector invited the costumed children to stand all around him while he did communion and explained each part as he went. Note the kid running past the alter. He was dressed up like a horse and wandered around aimlessly during the entire pageant.</div>
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<b>Today for Gym Christmas Day 7 I did Hazardous Waste Removal. </b>For me that meant emptying all the trash in the house and cleaning up a bit because we're having people over for beer and board games tonight. I also decided to bake some Christmas cookies and chose a recipe for sandwich cookies. There's ganache in those cookies! Delicious. Also on the menu: French Onion Toasts from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (not shown).</div>
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For the more holistic aspect of hazardous waste, I focused on my dissertation. I have a great advisor and I was recently paired with a great mentor through the SMT abstract mentoring program. She and I will work together for a month or two while I prepare my SMT abstract that's due in January. She pointed out a few things that will dramatically change my project for the better. When something like that happens, it's easy to feel like the whole thing is going to unravel. But with a good advisor, it changes into something much more awesome. It also means I have more work to do. I spent some time today honing my outlines and creating a to-do list for the next two weeks that includes everything I have to do to write the fourth chapter, with new info in hand. Very exciting. It's nice to have an empowering day with my dissertation. <b>Day 7: check.</b></div>
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<b>Here is my GYM CHRISTMAS list now:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Go for a Pre- or Post-Dinner Walk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Yuletide Cheer</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Make a Game of Household Chores</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Crank Up the Music and Boogie Down</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Regular Water Consumption</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Investigate and Share</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Sneak a Work Out into Another Activity</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Turn TV Commercials into Fitness Breaks</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Muscle-Building/Strength Training</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Animal Time</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Seven-Minute Work-Out.</span></div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-79155964509990431352013-12-07T09:27:00.004-05:002013-12-07T09:27:43.406-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS Day 5: Barack Obombus<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Yesterday was <b>GYM CHRISTMAS Day 5: Spreading Yuletide Cheer.</b> I brought two bags of Christmas candy for my students as a surprise treat on our last day of classes. I only have 10 students right now and on any given day only 4-5 show up. So at the end of class, I still had two fairly full bags of candy. Despite my efforts to disperse them at school (and the small handful of chocolate kisses I had for a pre-lunch snack), I still had two bags of candy when I went home.</div>
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John and I knew that we wanted to spend the evening eating the leftover candy and watching Game of Thrones (in season 2 and we're hooked!) but I wanted to do a fairly challenging work out. Otherwise I would have sat around all evening eating candy and feeling kind of belch. </div>
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So I did as much as I could of the Iron Strength work out I've written about before. And bonus, I got to do it in my new Triathlon Club T-shirt that came in yesterday! As one of my teammates said, now everyone will know how legit I am.</div>
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I haven't attempted Iron Strength for several months because of my stress fracture. But since it is (hopefully!) on the wane, I wanted to give it a try. And, to my complete surprise, I did the best I ever have with this work out. I did ALL SIX SETS of 15 jump squats - what?! And my legs aren't even sore today. My upper body, of course, is pretty tired and sore now because I also did two sets of 15 pushups and 15 rows from plank (without the weights). I still can't do some of the tasks, like sit ups, etc, because of my motion sickness. But I'm really happy with what I could do. I guess swimming has made me stronger. It's the kind of thing I find surprising because, if the way my pants fit is any indication, I'm not exactly as thin as I was a year or two ago. But if I'm stronger, then I'll take it. My pants still fit well enough, after all. </div>
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In addition to Christmas candy, John and I decided to make a drink that Mark and his former roommate, Jeff, christened the Barack Obombus. The story goes that Mark and Jeff, both theory grad students, briefly concocted a plan to open a bar named for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee">the genus of the bumblebee</a>, the Bombus. They began thinking up signature drinks for the bar, like the Bombus Rombus, the Irish Car Bombus, etc, and of course, the Barack Obombus. It's basically a White Russian but with chocolate milk instead of half and half.</div>
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If you were going to buy vodka, and there was a 750 ml bottle with a tiny bottle of Crown Royal, and one without, and they cost the same, wouldn't you buy the one with the Crown Royal? I mean, come on. It's <a href="http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/static/dolls.jsp">American Girl </a>sized! </div>
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So if after a week of participating in Gym Christmas (or not) you would like a chocolately drink, I would like to further my gift of yuletide cheer by giving you the <b>recipe for the Barack Obombus</b>: </div>
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1.5 oz Vodka</div>
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3/4 oz Kahlua</div>
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3/4 oz Chocolate Milk (or more to taste) (non-dairy chocolate milk would work just as well)</div>
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Ice</div>
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Combine and serve. Repeat as needed. Goes particularly well with Game of Thrones.</div>
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If I have time, I'll be back later today to report on whatever task I complete for Day 6. </div>
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<b>Happy Finals Week, everyone! </b></div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-65818497295003838462013-12-05T21:03:00.000-05:002013-12-07T09:09:41.663-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS Day 4: Water, Water, Everywhere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Today was <b>GYM CHRISTMAS Day 4: Regular Water Consumption</b>. I decided to track my water consumption for the day and see how it went. Before tracking, I emailed a friend of mine who is a doctor and asked if the whole 64 oz a day thing is a good baseline, or how much it might vary person to person. He said to drink to thirst and, if I'm really curious, to use the color of my urine as a guide. SPOILER ALERT - I'd rather spare you from reading my own analysis of my own urine. Everyone's got to have a line, and mine is discussing my own urine on the internet. I've already said too much.</div>
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<b>So here's what I drank today:</b> </div>
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1 cup of water from 5:20-5:40AM</div>
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1 cup of water during and immediately after swim practice, 6:05-7:40AM</div>
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1 large glass of water, probably about 10 oz</div>
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1 cup of chocolate milk after swim practice, because, don't worry about it, that's why. </div>
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About 1 travel mug's worth of tea, half before lunch and half after (mug shown below)</div>
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Another large glass of water with dinner, probably about 10 oz</div>
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1 cup of water between dinner and bed</div>
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I took a picture of my view from the desk where I tend to work in John's office. You can see my Fort Wayne Magazine travel mug on the right of my lap top. I still have one of the <a href="http://calmingmanatee.com/">Calming Manatee </a>pictures as my desktop background. Other accoutrements include kleenex, lotion, a little dish of hard candies that belongs to John's real office mate, and my electric kettle. Exciting stuff. Bobo is laying down to the left of the desk, out of the picture.</div>
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What did I learn today? Well, I think I did a decent job of not getting completely dehydrated after swimming, something I often have trouble with. But then I didn't drink as much water as I meant to or needed to during the school day. It sounds so lazy, but once I've started working, I don't usually take the time to get up and refill the kettle. #whitegirlproblem. Or maybe, #gradstudentproblem.</div>
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I'd like to improve the amount of water that I drink. But I did ok. I think if I paid better attention to my thirst during the school day, I'd probably do fine. So here's to drinking adequate fluids!</div>
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DAY 4: CHECK.</div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Animal Time</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Seven-Minute Work-Out.</span></div>
SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-15355702947318288732013-12-04T17:01:00.001-05:002013-12-05T21:03:22.865-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS Day 3: I encounter Escher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I completed GYM CHRISTMAS Day 3: Sneak a Workout into another Activity. For me this meant taking the stairs at Talbot College. After a day of climbing up and down the four stories between John's office, my office, my classroom, a department luncheon, and the copy room, I felt like I'd spent the day in an Escher drawing. <b>Day 3: CHECK!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_rdbKD2kflW8l1xF1F29i2aGoYvNIJ0eyoOtgWettU_tKLkf9YEypOdOcfT4Xp3XxCcG5y1o5mtpytSMmqpyAHnfw-obJBL1woTnGsXSKgsNk97ffIsj5_ogoZfEgJiYIPoCpGqQ0Pz7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-04+at+4.48.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_rdbKD2kflW8l1xF1F29i2aGoYvNIJ0eyoOtgWettU_tKLkf9YEypOdOcfT4Xp3XxCcG5y1o5mtpytSMmqpyAHnfw-obJBL1woTnGsXSKgsNk97ffIsj5_ogoZfEgJiYIPoCpGqQ0Pz7/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-12-04+at+4.48.23+PM.png" width="348" /></a></div>
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Nevertheless, I came home and did a bonus workout, apart from Gym Christmas. I've been working on a variation of a yoga pose called "half moon." It's great for stretching out my back and hamstrings. I can do it somewhat without falling over now, but the leg I'm holding is supposed to be more parallel with the floor, so there's still a long way to go. John was kind enough to take a picture. And in the process you can see how messy our bedroom is!</div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Seven-Minute Work-Out.</span></div>
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I have more plans for how to complete the list during the rest of this week and next. The holistic theme has made this year harder to complete in 12 straight days, as I have in years past. But I also like the variety. It's nice to have something else to think about besides chapters and grading and French history.<br />
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<b>Are any of you participating in Gym Christmas this year? It's still not too late to sign up!</b>SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-64273311324985491512013-12-02T16:49:00.000-05:002013-12-04T17:02:10.630-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS 2013, Day 2: 7 minutes in heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>It's the second day of GYM CHRISTMAS! </b></div>
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Today I decided to do the task at the bottom of the list: <b>the Seven Minute Work Out.</b> I added a warm up and cool down set and treated the 7 minutes as a sort of AMRAP ("as many reps as possible") work out. Here's the break down. </div>
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<b>Warm Up: </b></div>
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- 2 x alternating 30 jumping jacks and 5 burpees</div>
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- 3 x 5 pushups with 30 seconds rest in between</div>
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<b>AMRAP Set:</b></div>
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- 2:00 each squats, overhead press with 5 lb. weights, and lunges with 20 seconds rest in between to transition between activities. </div>
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<b>Cool down: </b></div>
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- different stretches for hip flexors, quads, calves, hamstrings. </div>
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This is the first time I've done lunges since I got my stress fracture (which is hopefully on its way out!), and now my legs feel like jello. It's amazing how not doing some of the running-specific exercises will change your body. </div>
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I didn't take a picture of anything work out related, so here's a gratuitous picture of Bobo with her Christmas ribbon on after yesterday's family photo shoot. She did make a cameo during my work out so that she could sniff my butt during my jumping jacks. I don't know who was more surprised - me, by her nose, or her, by my shriek when I felt her nose. </div>
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I wonder how many other GYM CHRISTMAS activities Bobo will get to participate in.</div>
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So here's where I am with GYM CHRISTMAS so far. Red means completed, green means incomplete.</div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Regular Water Consumption</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Investigate and Share</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Sneak a Work Out into Another Activity</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Turn TV Commercials into Fitness Breaks</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Muscle-Building/Strength Training</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: lime;">Animal Time</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Seven-Minute Work-Out.</span></div>
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<b>It's not too late to start participating! All you have to do is leave a comment on the DJ's blog each time you complete a task!</b></div>
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<b>Did any of you cross one of the tasks off your list today?</b></div>
<br />SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-64840273830309754822013-12-02T11:09:00.000-05:002013-12-02T11:10:05.667-05:00The 4th Annual Shu'Pippen Family Christmas Photo (2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday we put up our Christmas tree and today we celebrated one of my favorite holiday traditions: the <b>4th Annual Shu'Pippen Family Christmas Photo! </b>This is Bobo's first Christmas, and since she was pretty confused about the whole thing, I elected to make her a simple (and largely invisible) green and red ribbon to wear, rather than buying her silly hat. There's time for that down the road.</div>
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It was sort of a challenge to incorporate Bobo into our usual silly Christmas photo theme, but we made do. </div>
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Sincere Christmas photos aren't a bad thing.</div>
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She blends in with the blanket a little too well.<br />
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Things improved when we let her decide where to focus each photo.</div>
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<b>This year's official (silly) selection:</b></div>
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<b>This year's official (sincere) selection:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SkWbR7b0OL8J_FS2iz2v3oPegyB_BnwxxxybPODVOXvM37bKtgr43gThxTKbbj1w1jj_3sf72z34K3gk4X-qtRJMQ0kwmEqeMjxn0yhYvV4Ld69OEcGPfcLbmuhlEtmP02FYFnUesVUf/s1600/DSC_0130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SkWbR7b0OL8J_FS2iz2v3oPegyB_BnwxxxybPODVOXvM37bKtgr43gThxTKbbj1w1jj_3sf72z34K3gk4X-qtRJMQ0kwmEqeMjxn0yhYvV4Ld69OEcGPfcLbmuhlEtmP02FYFnUesVUf/s640/DSC_0130.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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And for your reference, here are the previous years: </div>
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<a href="http://soundslikecanada.blogspot.ca/2012/12/3rd-annual-shupippen-family-christmas.html">2012</a></div>
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<a href="http://soundslikecanada.blogspot.ca/2011/12/2nd-annual-shupippen-family-christmas.html">2011</a></div>
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2010</div>
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I plan on getting a couple of shots of Bobo and Toby wearing antlers or something similarly festive when we're in Bloomy.</div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-18778548222207063872013-12-01T19:20:00.000-05:002013-12-01T19:20:24.685-05:00GYM CHRISTMAS 2013 is here! Day 1: Pre-Dinner Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Today marks the first day of Gym Christmas 2013! </b>I've already written a bit about the details for this year as it is somewhat different from previous years. And today, the DJ posted a more thorough explanation of each task on her blog. You can read it <a href="http://www.jillbobaggins.net/2013/12/the-twelve-days-of-gym-christmas-day-1.html">here</a>.</div>
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I've started a list of how I'm going to accomplish each task and I'll blog about each of them as I go. <b>Today's is #1 on the list (chosen arbitrarily - you need not complete them in the order above): Go for a pre-dinner walk.</b> <b>DONE! </b></div>
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Bobo and I took a 30 minute stroll around the neighborhood this afternoon. I could have also counted it as Animal Time, but I know that one will be easy to accomplish because I spend most of the day with Bobo. </div>
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<b>Yuletide Cheer: </b>This is meant to be a random-acts-of-kindness kind of thing. Since none of my students read this (to my knowledge), I'm going to surprise them with a baked good on our last day of class.</div>
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<b>Make a game of household chores: </b>I'm not sure how much of a game it will be, but I'm going to sweep the whole house and mop the kitchen floor (date TBD). I always work up a sweat doing those things anyways.</div>
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<b>Crank up the music and boogie down: </b>Self-explanatory. But I do have a similar activity I like to do this time of year called Nutcracker Yoga. Also self-explanatory.</div>
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For <b>Hazardous Waste Removal, </b>I had planned on emptying all the trashcans in the house plus cleaning out the fridge, but then the DJ explained that it's more mental - eliminating something bad from your inner self. I still I'll still do the cleaning task and by extension consider what kinds of mental clutter I could rid from my mind. Our house feels more comfortable and relaxed when it's clean. </div>
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<b>Regular Water Consumption: </b>I'm going to keep track of how much water I drink on a particular day, evaluate it, and then try to improve it on another day (if necessary). </div>
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<b>Investigate and share: </b>I thought about writing a bit about my dissertation research, but I may look up something interesting about Christmas to share instead. So something either Voltaire or Christmas related.</div>
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<b>Sneak a workout into another activity: </b>I've already sort of begun this one, but i'll probably officially count it one day this week. I've stopped using the elevator in Talbot College. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but I spend a lot of time in John's office (with the dog) and then occasionally make trips up to my office - that means walking from the basement to the 3rd floor. If I have to make more than one trip, I can really feel it in my quads! </div>
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<b>Turn TV commercials into fitness breaks: </b>We don't have cable, so as the DJ suggests, I'm going to get creative with this one. My plan is to commit to foam rolling while we watch TV at night and I have to do it 3 times before completing this task.</div>
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<b>Muscle-Building/Strength Training: </b>I do this regularly anyways, so I'll either do a normal workout at home or at the gym.</div>
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<b>Animal Time: </b>Easily done. I walk Bobo at least once a day. </div>
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<b>Seven-Minute Work Out: </b>I may turn this one into a 7-minute AMRAP (or three components, 2:20 AMRAP for each), sandwiched between a warm up and cool down.</div>
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In order to participate, you simply complete these tasks per DJ's instructions and tell her about it, either on facebook, or on <a href="http://www.jillbobaggins.net/">her blog</a>. At the end, she mails you a button! </div>
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<br />SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-16707709191019673062013-11-24T15:00:00.003-05:002013-11-24T15:00:29.114-05:00November, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I thought I'd take a break from telling you about my terrifying dreams to write a little recap of the past few weeks.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">1. I've participated in a few Triathlon Club events, including this one where we walked around campus with bags of Hershey's HUGS and randomly handed them to people. We also took pictures along the way. </span></div>
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I love the TriClub, even though I feel old enough to be everyone's mom. It's nice to get together with them outside of swim practice, since I never have my glasses on and everyone is wearing swim caps.</div>
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2. A couple of weeks ago we got a decent amount of snow and Bobo went NUTS over it. </div>
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For some reason she really wanted to get it all over her face.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q2UzBsaiiR6U9qZDPvuC6Udn8L9eVLjKL6wMl7yrapXDWLPUs3A006VkKv8TPMvrb4nKy1xGmQAUcvjwzCtqDUQCew3H5YplNCcMcmFUEBMsVzGKT3vK4jWqZvusSjI8pRgObB90aF_Z/s1600/IMG_2732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q2UzBsaiiR6U9qZDPvuC6Udn8L9eVLjKL6wMl7yrapXDWLPUs3A006VkKv8TPMvrb4nKy1xGmQAUcvjwzCtqDUQCew3H5YplNCcMcmFUEBMsVzGKT3vK4jWqZvusSjI8pRgObB90aF_Z/s400/IMG_2732.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And she loved laying down in it, but she was always poised to strike.</div>
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3. I saw this random box of sweet potatoes in Talbot College. Its smiley face makes me so happy!</div>
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4. On Friday night we went to Gen Pop. Here's a picture of some music theory classmates of mine, breaking it down.</div>
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5. And then it snowed some more! We got almost 2 feet last night. </div>
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Bobo is a tall dog and even she was in it up to her chest. We had to double up her sweater and her coat because it was only 18 F. when we got up this morning. She seems equally excited and perplexed by the snow. She doesn't know where to go to the bathroom, but she likes jumping in the snow like a porpoise. </div>
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One more week until our Christmas decor goes up! I've resisted putting it up, even though our yard looks like Christmas Town from Nightmare Before Christmas. Instead, we're just listening to a bunch of Christmas music to get into the holiday spirit.</div>
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6. It's almost time for Gym Christmas! I'll post a lot more during it, and I have some specific goals in mind, but you can read the DJ's preliminary post <a href="http://www.jillbobaggins.net/2013/11/we-are-family-get-ready.html">here</a> (<-- 12="" a="" baby="" bit="" but="" christmas:="" christmas="" complete="" cute="" different="" dj="" explanation="" for="" forthcoming="" gym="" here="" info="" is="" mommy-hood.="" more="" need="" of="" p="" photos="" reflecting="" s="" short="" tasks="" the="" there="" this="" to="" transition="" we="" year=""><br />
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You need not be a personal friend of the DJ to participate! Gym Christmas always adds greatly to my December. </div>
</-->SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-70473699794014046852013-11-15T09:09:00.000-05:002013-11-15T09:09:17.621-05:00Abby's Dream Recap 2: "Epic Dream"<b><i>I had this dream back in 2009 or so and typed out the whole thing in an AIM conversation with John. He kept it so that he could put it on facebook and then I found it this week on my computer. So in this you can see John's reactions, too. We've always referred to it as my "crazy epic dream."</i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Abby</b>: I had the most cracked out dream. Ok. I dreamt that there was
a movie of the war requiem<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>John</b>: What?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>Abby</b>: And that it took place in your house in Knoxville with
your roommates, plus some more people. At one point this 3 year old (or
younger?) kid, that was hanging around the house for some reason, turned out to
be a demon and one of your roommates had to fight it, apocalypse style.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The baby sprouted these red and orange gigantic feathers, and the
two of them started fighting to the death. But then they decided after a while
that they shouldn't be enemies. Meanwhile, one of the bedrooms became consumed
with fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>John</b>: WHAT THE HELL, this is so epic!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <b>Abby</b>: Mysteriously, [actor] Carl Weathers had been beaten to
death (not sure by who) and rolled up in a carpet and put in the room so people
went in to get his body out. And you were all in the kitchen, gathering things
to take with us when we fled and trying to decide what to do. Suddenly the
house began to flood quickly. We were submerged in water. Then everyone was
taken to safety in one of those motorized rafts, except for the demon baby and
your pseudo roommate who had fought him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">They were unconscious in the house, underwater, but not yet dead. One
of you knew that there were these giant slugs, more like fish, that could help
rescue them because they would try to eat them but they wouldn't actually kill
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Someone from the raft went down into the chimney, into the house
(underwater). The slug fish had half-eaten the demon baby and your friend so he
picked the fish up by their tails and dragged all of it to the surface in the
end. My final image was of everyone having survived, and the demon baby and
your roommate had the fish still attached to them at the waist, so they looked
like mermaids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">And then I woke up and I was like, damn, I'm glad I slept for that
entire dream.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-3468395935159008092013-11-11T16:47:00.001-05:002013-11-11T16:47:43.787-05:00Abby's Dream Recap 1: "I have many forms."<i><br /></i>
<i>I've always had really crazy dreams, both scary and completely awesome. At this point, John is sick of hearing about it, so I've decided to post a few of them on the blog from time to time. </i><br />
<i>So here goes! In related news, John and I had just started watching American Horror Story. Coincidence? </i><br />
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The last night that I was at SMT, I dreamt that I had already returned home from the conference. I walked into our living room and saw the recliner chair rocking back and forth, as though someone had just stood up from sitting in it. But John was nowhere to be found and I realized that it was moving on its own. When I said to myself, "What the hell..." the chair immediately stopped moving and changed color slightly, as though the transparent thing that had been making it move had moved on.<br />
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Then, I confronted John about it and he sheepishly revealed that he had performed some kind of conjuring ritual while I was gone, and it had gone awry. As we talked, one of our metal folding chairs (normally positioned at John's desk) began moved toward us, still folded up, and I knocked it over when it came close. John and I clung to each other in fear as <span style="text-align: center;">we watched this happen. </span><br />
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I asked, "How can we sleep here tonight, after all this? What is this thing?"<br />
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A female voice answered, <b>"I have many forms."</b><br />
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And I woke up.SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-58965309027848484112013-11-11T16:21:00.000-05:002013-11-11T16:21:38.594-05:00SMT 2013: Charlotte<br />
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Last weekend was the <a href="http://societymusictheory.org/">SMT</a>'s Annual Theory-a-thon in Charlotte. While I was there, I also heard people refer to it as Theory Camp and Theory Christmas. Theory Camp I understand, but Theory Christmas...that's too much. </div>
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Anyways, it was a productive, fun, and also exhausting conference, per usual. I got to reconnect with lots of people from IU, though none of the students in this IU department ad were present, including Mark: </div>
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I got to see my former classmate, Drew (shown below), give a paper about baroque dance that was great! He also played piano in his presentation to demonstrate different conceptions of baroque meter, and his playing is excellent. Presentations with live performance are always the best. </div>
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<a href="http://www.jillbobaggins.net/2013/11/smtrudy-or-trudy-takes-charlotte-nc.html">The DJ and Bryn</a> were present with little Trudy and it was great to hang out with Mama DJ for a bit in between sessions! Trudy is cuter in real life than in pictures, if you can believe it. </div>
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This year's conference had included several great pedagogy sessions, though I was sad to miss Bryn's as it was on Sunday morning, during my flight (but you can check out the materials <a href="http://www.hackingmusictheory.com/">here</a>!). I found those sessions particularly inspiring and I'm going to try to incorporate some more new tech/media into my teaching. I love the idea of having a short, weekly podcast to introduce the topic of the week for my students. </div>
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I also somehow managed to do a bunch of personal work during the conference weekend. My plan was to go to things when I wanted to, but not to force myself to go to any sessions just because I was there. The result was that I had a little extra time on my hands to write, especially Wednesday afternoon before everyone else arrived. I had the hotel room to myself and got all kinds of stuff written before my roommate, Anna, arrived. It turns out that an expensive hotel room that does not include internet is a good place to get stuff done because you don't have the internet to offer distractions. It did give me the idea to get a few fun colleagues together, rent a cabin (or cottage, as the locals always say) somewhere pretty, then work all day and have fun in the evening. It would be sort of like an informal writing retreat! </div>
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On Saturday I went to the parties and snapped this picture of several senior theorists playing poker at the end of the Yale reception.</div>
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Then John went to <a href="http://www.ams-net.org/pittsburgh/">AMS</a> almost right after I got back from SMT. Bobo and I had the weekend to ourselves and we filled our time with walks in the gray weather.</div>
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This was our first fairly cold weekend - highs in the 30s - and it's starting to feel like winter, even if it still looks like fall. </div>
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Bobo has her winter wear all ready to go. She's wearing her red, heavier coat in the photos above. And below you can see her knit sweater for moderately cold weather. As you can see, she loves them both. </div>
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<br />SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-92177020180754054852013-11-04T19:58:00.001-05:002013-11-04T19:58:26.062-05:00Silver Dolphin's Halloween Haunt/Crystal Ball, Annual Fall Time Trial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">A couple of weeks ago my swim coach emailed us to say that the London Silver Dolphins decided to open their annual fall time trial (aka, unofficial swim meet) to Triathlon Club swimmers and other people at Western. I'd like to enter some meets in the spring, but I wanted to have a practice meet sometime beforehand, so I gladly signed up.</span></div>
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The goal of the meet is to come closest to your predicted time, though I was more interested in seeing what on earth my times would be. I haven't timed myself since I last did summer swimming in 2001, so I needed to establish some new baselines to work from. A few weeks ago at Triathlon practice we timed ourselves and I did a 50 free in 42 seconds, so I used that to guess some more times. Here's what I did: </div>
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<b>100 IM</b></div>
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<b>Predicted time: 1:40. </b></div>
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<b>Actual time: 1:32. </b></div>
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Holy crap! I can't believe I swam that fast. It was hard. I rarely sprinted while running unless I was at the very end of a 5K where I was trying to PR. But I'm so glad I did it. I love 100 IM - it's just the right amount of IM. But that much hard butterfly made my abs REALLY sore.</div>
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<b>100 Free</b></div>
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<b>Predicted time: 1:30</b></div>
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<b>Actual time: 1:19:51. </b></div>
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Again, I was so happy with this time. I thought it would be MUCH slower and I was pleasantly surprised. The photo below is just before the first turn (I'm the one with the blue head in lane 5).</div>
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<b>50 Free</b></div>
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<b>Predicted time: 00:41</b></div>
<b>Actual time: 00:37:52</b><br />
Wow, this was MUCH harder than I remembered (pretty much the theme of the day), but I also loved it. I breathed probably 4 times, which is more than I would have done years ago, but I was generally happy with how this went. Also, my swim coaches helped me figure out how to keep my goggles on when diving off the block by putting them under my cap and pulling the cap over the edge of the goggles. I have a lot of work to do if I really want to be able to sprint again and improve this time, but I also feel like a better time is completely within my reach.<br />
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I also managed to get into the lane on the end so that John could take pictures.</div>
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Now that I've done it again, I'm excited to enter some meets in the spring. I'm thinking of registering as an independent Silver Dolphin so that I can keep training with the tri-club but have some company with the team for meets. </div>
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John was kind enough to come with me (especially since I spent so many cold, rainy hours with him in Indy for the marathon), and I was reminded how many boring long stretches swim meets have. Unlike when I was a kid, no one seemed to have a deck of cards to play War and there was no snack bar where we could go get a Ring Pop. But the UWO Swim Team was there to volunteer as timers and other meet workers and they walked around with buckets of Halloween candy from time to time. From what I could tell, the Silver Dolphins are a nice bunch and I hope to swim with them again.<br />
Now I have some times to beat!SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-25278843460206308532013-10-28T19:35:00.000-04:002013-10-28T19:35:16.905-04:00Little Molls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sadly I have to tell you that Molly, aka, Little Molls, aka, La Molita, passed away last week. </div>
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I felt like I should write about it because she and Toby are regulars on this blog, but I've also put it off. She was an old dog - my parents got her while I was a senior at Interlochen - but it was still a shock that she was fine the weekend of the marathon and gone a few days later. Apparently her spine was deteriorating without us knowing it. She certainly didn't let on until the very end. </div>
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Suddenly I feel like I have a completely inadequate amount of photos of her. </div>
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She was a lucky girl to have been rescued by my parents. They treated her like royalty. Every dog should be so lucky, and in return, Molly was always so sweet. And she was lucky at the end not to have suffered for more than a couple of days, if that. But I know we're all sad to lose her and we'll miss her so much. I'm glad she got to meet Bo, but I'll be sad to be without all three dogs this Christmas. In fact, I don't think it will fully sink in until we visit for Christmas.</div>
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I'm also glad she got to meet so many of my friends and family over the years, especially at the wedding. She loved walking with my dad at IU and chasing squirrels on the President's lawn.</div>
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She and Toby weren't exactly best friends, but I know it's an adjustment for him, too, being the only dog. He'll mark her absence in his own way, I'm sure. </div>
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It's hard to imagine ever meeting another dog as sweet and as easily loving as Molly. She was so good.</div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-39691989137420965192013-10-26T12:33:00.001-04:002013-10-26T12:33:13.492-04:00Indianapolis Marathon and Half Marathon, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>Last weekend, John, Kira, and Kira's mom, Karen, ran the Indianapolis Marathon (and Half Marathon, for Karen) in Historic Fort Harrison. John wrote his own race report for the event, so I thought I would post that here. My version of the story is a lot more boring: I stood outside in the rain for 3 hours, waiting for them to finish and hoping that none of them had hypothermia. And I got a cold. Kira also had a huge PR that I hope she will write about at some point on her blog. The end. </b></i></div>
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<i><b>So heeeeere's Johnny!</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know I don't post much on the blog, but I wanted to write up a report for my first ever full Marathon. In September of 2012 Abby and I ran our first half marathon with friend of the blog <a href="http://www.cook-pray-love.org/">Kira</a>. Ever since then, the thought of a full seemed increasingly plausible. I trained for the half using the 10k plan out of <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Runners-World-Less-Faster-Revolutionary/dp/159486649X">Run Less, Run Faster</a>. I know it sounds silly to use a 10k plan for a race that is twice that distance, but the 10k plan included long runs of ten miles at an aggressive pace. Knowing that I could run ten miles in about seventy-five minutes, I figured that I could at least finish the half and I even ran a 13 mile long run on my own to confirm this. After doing well in the half and loving the atmosphere a full seemed increasingly attractive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In February of 2013 I decided that I would attempt to train for a full marathon: the <a href="http://www.indianapolismarathon.com/">Indianapolis Marathon</a>. I consulted friends such as Kira who had run a marathon, and I also decided on a few rules. If I was going to train for a full I had to: 1use the roller everyday, stretch for 10+ minutes after all workouts, and I had to avoid injury by strength training. There were certainly a few days when I forgot to roll, but I'm sure I averaged a good home roll at least 6 days a week, often more. Training for the marathon went well, and come October I felt strong and confident. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The day of the race finally came, and I lined up on a cold and rainy Saturday morning in Lawrence, IN to run 26.2 miles. The previous Saturday had been spent in bed as I tried to get over a cold. It lingered all week, but by Friday, I was confident I could at least start. I had four tiers of goals: 1 Finish the marathon; 2 finish in under four hours; 3 finish with the 3:30 pace group; 4 finish under 3:30. I had trained for a 7:45 pace, but I didn't expect to be able to execute a 3:23 for my first run, and many experts advise against having time goals for your first marathon This turned out to be good advice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first 13.1 miles really whizzed by. I know that sounds crazy to anybody who's never run that far, but after training on my own for 15 mile, 18 mile, and 20 mile long runs, having people to run with and fans to cheer us on felt amazing. I posted a 1:44:18 for the half, right on schedule for my third tier goal! This, however, was to prove the end of my 3:30 dreams. Soon after 13.1, I started to feel tired and tight in three danger zones: my glutes, hip flexors, and ham strings. Previous experience had taught me that combined stress in these areas indicated fatigue. Under similar circumstances in a few training runs, I had ended early because of such feelings. At around 15.5 miles I attempted to stretch my hamstrings, only to find them especially tight. I knew I was in trouble. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the remaining 11 or so miles, my pace became erratic and I battled leg cramps. The worst stretch was from 15.5 to 20 miles. During this stretch, I was not at all convinced I could finish the race. I knew that if the pain increased, I would have to drop out. Furthermore, I had ditched my shirt, as planned, but the stopping and starting contributed to a lower than planned core temperature. Basically, the race was far from over, I experiencing new pain, and I was running shirtless in 45 degree weather. Not ideal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I basically just kept running. at a little turn around, I saw my 3:30 pace friends, one of whom yelled "Enjoy it!" I took his advice, focused on my first tier goal of finishing, and set about moving in bursts. Once my watch read 32KM (20 miles), I knew I would be able to finish. It was still difficult. At one point I had to ask a volunteer to help me tie my shoe because I had to remove a pebble. My hands were too cold to tie them back on. I just kept going, and attempted to enjoy myself. I had never run farther than 20 miles, so every new mile was an accomplishment. I clung to such thoughts like an emotional life preserver as I kept moving, and other runners kept passing me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was just short of 25 miles when I stopped again. Another runner who had been with me for some time encouraged me to continue, saying "Oh, come on!" He said this in a good way, as in "you're so close, don't stop now." I started running again. About .75 miles to the finish, I saw Matt, the 3:30 pacer appeared and ran toward me. He matched my pace (something like an 11 minute mile) and started pouring encouragement into me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"This is your first marathon," he said. "You're already faster than most everybody who runs a marathon," he said. "Do you have someone waiting for you at the finish with a jacket?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I probably could have finished without Matt, but when he appeared and started running with me, I felt like I could be proud of what I had done. I will never forget seeing him and the unconditional support he offered. With less than half a mile to go, he asked if I could make it on my own. I said I could and he left to go run with others. I don't think I sped up, but I kept running, even passing a few people before the final turn. Once in the finishing chute, I saw and heard Abby. As usual she was angrily screaming at me to run faster and finish. I heard my name called out, and then heard the beep as the mats registered my chip. Total time: 3:51:12. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All in all, it was and continues to be an amazing experience. I keep remembering that I actually ran a full marathon. I don't know for sure what happened with my legs. I usually do some dynamic stretches at about 2-3 miles, but I skipped that. It was also a bit colder than I had been training, and it rained a lot. I also stopped to pee twice during the first half and ran hard to catch the group (a serious tactical error). Whatever the cause of my troubles, I still managed to finish (and I trounced that lying son of a bitch Paul Ryan, a goal that helped keep me moving). I think the training plan I used worked wonderfully, and I love how I only had to do three runs a week (plus cross training and strength. I loved having Abby there to catch me at the end and to think for me when I was too exhausted to remember to put my pants on. And I can't wait to do it again. </span><br />
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Pre-race photos:</div>
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Lining up in the corrals: </div>
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Abby, warming her gloves by the fire, during the race:</div>
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Awesome race sign:</div>
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Post-race photos:</div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-55040123416178845572013-10-26T12:17:00.000-04:002013-10-26T12:17:27.822-04:00Northern Beers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We were so lucky that of all the people who could have shown up for our reunion, our friends Ethan and Josh were there. </div>
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We had drinks at our former choir director's house one night and dinner there the next. His dogs were super friendly and climbed on my lap immediately - I didn't object, of course.</div>
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On Saturday, we decided to set off to see some beautiful Norther Michigan sites and to visit an ice cream place we used to love - <a href="http://www.moomers.com/">Moomer's</a>. I thought the stuffed (but real) animals in this display might like to taste my ice cream.</div>
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Michigan has always seemed like a beer wonderland to me, and this area was no different. Kira and I discovered a particularly impressive beer list at the <a href="http://www.hofbrauinterlochen.com/">Hofbrau</a> (another old haunt) the first night we were in town. I had a great Vanilla Java Porter (delicious!) by Atwater, a brewery in Detroit. It's amazing to me that a remote, sort of truck stop kind of place like the Hofbrau would have such great beer. And yet, Michigan. </div>
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Along with visiting Moomer's on Saturday, we went to <a href="http://www.shortsbrewing.com/">Shorts Brewing</a> in Bellaire, MI, per my request. I love the beer of theirs that I've tried in Ann Arbor and I was excited to try whatever they had on hand. Lucky for me, everyone else was up for a little road trip because it took an hour to get there.<br />
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Kira and I split a flight of tasting portions and I took diligent notes in the same notebook I used in Asheville before my voice came back. My friend Josh was rather impressed with my note taking - he said I was a beer connoisseur, though I told him it's mostly John's interest rubbing off on me. </div>
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Shorts had a long list of beers on tap to try, and (not sure if you can see in this picture) all of the tap pulls were little legs wearing shorts...of course.</div>
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Visiting Shorts was everything I hoped - they had great and weird beer and great food. My favorite beer would have to be the OMGWTFBBQ, that tasted like bbq sauce with a sweet and smoky aftertaste. They also had a great and also weird bourbon barreled IPA that tasted first like hops and then like bourbon. But it was also good! </div>
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After a stop at Moomer's, we decided to try another brewery in Traverse City - <a href="http://www.rightbrainbrewery.com/gateway.php">Right Brain Brewery</a>. </div>
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Kira and I also shared a flight here. We liked the Shrute Farms beet beer (yeah, as in, Dwight Scrute), though it was very earthy (like a beet). None of the rest really blew my skirt up, but I did like the special pour of their bourbon barrel ale that I requested. </div>
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I loved getting to try all the fun Michigan beers and I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of them at the little grocery store in Interlochen. I was able to get some of Shorts' Soft Parade and Autumn Ale to take home. </div>
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The next day, Kira and I set off for Canada. We stopped in Cadillac for breakfast at Cheryl's, and if you're in the area, I would highly recommend it. They have great breakfast specials with a view of the lake and delicious homemade cherry-rhubarb jam that I was able to get in a take-out container. If I make it back to Interlochen in another 5 or 10 years, I would definitely stop at Cheryl's again.</div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-63772908477202764692013-10-26T11:51:00.000-04:002013-10-26T11:51:42.133-04:00IAA "Reunion" Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the second day of our trip, we headed to campus to wander around and sit in on some classes with our former teachers. </div>
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We walked down to the lake from the Academy side, a ways away from our cabin.</div>
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Seagulls hanging out on top the dance building.</div>
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The fall colors on campus were stunning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHfnVH_1AncCNFjRXkjDKzAdRF2lLLRF0MKdZo8sOWYIYgM99jZqo13l8FYl3jcGuIgieM547NddHQX5BMFSfhC6dv5A807F2C8BVzLbkXl5eOVPzXO932xnP5cM3718gSssRbnbHfCR2/s1600/IMG_2546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHfnVH_1AncCNFjRXkjDKzAdRF2lLLRF0MKdZo8sOWYIYgM99jZqo13l8FYl3jcGuIgieM547NddHQX5BMFSfhC6dv5A807F2C8BVzLbkXl5eOVPzXO932xnP5cM3718gSssRbnbHfCR2/s1600/IMG_2546.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Main campus, between the dorms, cafeteria, and classroom buildings. </div>
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We attended Mr. McCall's Early American History class on the slave trade. Mr. McCall was definitely one of my favorite teachers and it was fun to chat with him about the class material, and to pick his brain about the shutdown, the 2016 election, etc. </div>
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(Me, Kira, Mr.McCall, Tracy)</div>
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Only a few of us registered for the reunion, supposedly the reason it was canceled, so we easily fit into a group photo. </div>
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We wandered around the concourse where our academic classes took place.<br />
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Saw some old faces...</div>
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and some new flyers for theory tutorial and the Chamber Singers concert.</div>
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We saw the new (to us) library in what used to be the gym. When we were there, the music library was very much like a dungeon underneath the cafeteria. But now it's a swank, college-style building with the internet and <i>everything</i>.</div>
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Kira and I also attended Dr. Van Maanen's first year music theory class and participated in the day's lesson on second species counterpoint. Woohoo!</div>
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The day ended with a trip to the photo archives where former Academy conductor, Byron Hanson, hauled out a bunch of containers of Academy photos from 2002-2003. It was a perfect thing for us to do, and we almost definitely wouldn't have gotten to do it if lots of people had attended the "real" reunion.<br />
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If you'd asked me ten years ago if I would want to teach at Interlochen, I would have said definitely not. It's so cold and isolated in the winter, and I couldn't imagine wanting to endure that indefinitely (little did I know we would move to Canada, so the joke is on me). Now, though, I'm in my 7th year of teaching (!!!) and I would totally jump at the chance to teach at Interlochen. The kids are engaged, the institution supports creative work, and it's prestigious, so famous people visit on a regular basis. I might not want to live in Northern Michigan forever, but I would happily sign up for a winter there if it meant I got to teach in such a vibrant, intellectually stimulating place. And the winters are the price for what are a pretty beautiful summer and fall. Not that they have a job opening or anything, but I may keep my ear to the ground now that I've visited as an adult and witnessed the great teaching that takes place there. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have been a student in such a place.<br />
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6408017009537944607.post-85632896477871359612013-10-13T22:03:00.001-04:002013-10-13T22:03:55.556-04:00Shrine of the Muse Divine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After my high school reunion this weekend, I've decided to post a whole series of landscape photos. Because northern Michigan is just that beautiful!</div>
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Our cabin was beautiful, too. But I only managed to take a photo of the fake moose head on the wall of Kira's room. I kind of wanted to take that moose head.</div>
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And also our cabin from the front. </div>
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Since I've been getting up early this semester, I was able to sleep in until 7:30 and still see the sunrise each day we were there. And as Kira was able to book us a cabin right on Green Lake, I made a special trip outside each morning to take pictures as it happened. </div>
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Our cabin was about a mile from campus, near Diamond Park Road, surrounded by the firey fall colors. </div>
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I was compelled to take a photo every few minutes or so when the light changed. </div>
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Also, we were near Indiana Street! I realized that in the same week I will have spent time in Interlochen, Bloomington, and London. All three of my schools in a week. It's sort of like an autobiographical road trip. </div>
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The sun really started to come up and the lake changed color quickly.<br />
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And then everything started changing color.</div>
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The view from the porch.</div>
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On the last morning, it was fairly windy and the water was choppy. </div>
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What an amazing place this was to go to school. No wonder I decided to become a composer.</div>
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It was so good to be back.</div>
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SoundsLikeCanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04782621124047305910noreply@blogger.com0