I want a baby tiger...

Apparently, I like to watch videos of baby animals when I'm feeling down. As a side note, can I just say this dog has some balls!

Cure for the Blues

If you're ever feeling sad or having a bad day, I highly recommend watching this video of a baby giraffe chasing a butterfly. It doesn't get much cuter than this!

Happy Earth Day!

I have to admit it, I'm a little bit of a tree hugger. I recycle, drive a low emission vehicle, and am kind of crazy when it comes to trying to conserve energy in my apartment. However, I recently watched a documentary that left me feeling like I should and could be doing more to reduce my impact on the environment. The documentary was, No Impact Man. It was based on the idea that Colin Beaven wanted to try with his family, which was living for a year with making absolutely no impact on the environment. He also wrote a book about this idea as well. In order to not impact the environment, Colin and his family went without electricity, rode bicycles rather than driving, and purchased no new items with the exception of food. They also purchased all of their food from farmer's markets and lived a vegetarian lifestyle. This could sound like it may be a preachy story, but I didn't take it as such. They showed that living this way wasn't easy. They were frustrated to live without a refrigerator, especially with a young daughter. There were moments when they cheated, such as when Colin's wife struggled to go without coffee. (I honestly don't know how she did it!) The documentary did show that these changes helped bring their family closer, by not watching TV and biking places together. It also showed how it affected their physical health. Before this experiment, Colin's wife was pre-diabetic, which resolved with her healthy new lifestyle. While this documentary was extremely interesting, it really made me think about the changes I could make in my life to help reduce my carbon footprint. I don't always need to take the elevator, especially with my office being on the second floor. I could conserve energy with a walk up the stairs, which would also be better for my waistline. I also could make a better effort to remember bringing my reusable grocery bags to the store, which always lay forgotten next to my refrigerator. I would also like to volunteer with beach clean ups to help preserve Lake Michigan, which I love so much! If you're a fan of documentaries, I definitely recommend, No Impact Man. Hopefully you can find as much inspiration from it as I did. You can also learn more about Colin from his blog:http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/what-its-all-about.html

Fun Ways To Procrastinate...

Watching high production cat videos!

I heart Ira

I just read this quote today by Ira Glass and it really spoke to me...no pun intended. I'm currently working on starting my novel. I haven't told this to a lot of people, basically because I'm scared people will laugh at me. I've been thinking about this novel for a lonnnng time, but I think my fear of failing has kept me from getting started, until now.
Anyway, I think this quote can apply to anyone who is a beginner at something. Enjoy!

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
― Ira Glass

Blah

This past Sunday I had one of those days where you feel like absolutely nothing can go your way. I felt as if the universe was almost toying with me, just to see how far it could push me before I broke. (I tend to get a little dramatic.)

It started off with me waking up 10 minutes past the time I was supposed to be at work. Isn't that always a lovely feeling? As if working on a Sunday isn't bad enough. I'm forced to rush out of bed, grab something somewhat presentable from my closet to wear, brush my teeth, and run out the door. As I'm pulling out of the garage to leave, I look down to change the channel on the radio and I suddenly hear a crunch. I scraped into the side of the garage ramp. I immediately pretend that it didn't actually happen and pray that there's no sign of damage. No such luck. I park my car at work and notice a huge scrape AND a dent on the front of the car. My work day drags by and I can't shake the tiredness to the point that I practically feel hungover, despite the fact that I didn't drink a drop of alcohol the night before.

After finally making it through the day at work I decide to go home and go for a run, hoping that will help me end the day on a good note. I change into my running clothes, fill my water bottle, and then discover that my precious iPod is no where to be found! I seriously wanted to punch someone. (I'm not really a violent person)

Today is Wednesday and I have yet to recover from this horrible Sunday. I've felt tired all week and bummed out. My mom and I decided to term this feeling, "sad pudding." For some reason it just seemed to fit.

Anyway, I'm writing this post as a plea to the universe. Please don't deal me a day this bad for at least 5-10 years, if at all. In fact, Universe, how about you allow me to cash in my good karma for a winning lottery ticket this week!

Loving the Run

I recently had someone ask me how I was able to switch my mentality from, "I only run if I'm being chased," to actually enjoying it as a regular workout. Since I'm deep into my current training program and just officially registered for my first 8K, I figured this would be a fun topic to write about today!

So, I admit it. I used to despise going to the gym. I also used to sneer at the people I would see as I drove past them running at 7:00 am or running on a cold, snowy day. I didn't get it. After work I was so exhausted, all I wanted to do was crash on the couch, watch some bad reality TV, and enjoy a bowl (or pint) of ice cream. I was a bona fide couch potato. I would occasionally get inspired for a week or two and start a new diet or work out regimen. Sadly, these bouts of motivation never really lasted too long.

About a year ago, my attitude finally shifted. Maybe it was the realization that I'm no longer in my 20's, but I started to really think about my health. I was sick of feeling tired and worn down and basically feeling older than my age. I was also sick of packing on the pounds and started to fear that I might be doing permanent damage to my body. So, I started changing the way I ate. I'm a vegetarian, so luckily I already really enjoy fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, cookies and ice cream are also vegetarian. So, I started trying to limit the junk I was eating.

This past fall, a coworker and good friend of mine was actually able to talk me into running a 5K with her. She gave me a training program that she had printed out and I nervously agreed. The training program was intense and I felt like I was always sore. After a week or two, I noticed a change. I had more energy. I was sleeping better. I was feeling less anxious and happier! Once I realized the changes running was having on me, it made me more motivated to keep it up. I was also terrified of not being able to make it halfway through the 5K. Fear can be a great motivator as well.

In December, I finished my first 5K. I'm not the fastest runner, but I was amazed at how many people I was able to pass along the race. When I crossed the finish line, I was fighting back tears of happiness. I know it seems corny. It's not like I ran a marathon. But, it was huge accomplishment for me. I wanted that feeling of accomplishment again. I wanted to cross more finish lines. I wanted to feel like I was part of a healthy community. I wanted to keep running.