BlogHer08–>I forgot to wear flowers in my hair, but they were all over my shoes
By Tarable | July 23, 2008
Here are a few of my favorite things from this year’s conference:
- Partying with the Kirtsy chicks. This is now the fourth state we’ve hung out in and I always enjoy our time together. An inspiring group of women that never cease to amaze me. Thanks for the invite ladies. And thanks
for your backyard and the paella Guy.
- Partying in a department store. I’ve never done it before and it turned out to be both weird and awesome all at the same time. The party started off a little awkward in the handbag department, but by the time we had made it up to lingerie, we were ready to roll. (The hot chocolate shots and KY lube samples were highlights of that floor!) While I may have had some flashbacks of Mannequin, I just thank god I didn’t break anything.
- The “lactation lounge”…I didn’t hang out in there, but I challenge you to find something like that at any other conference.
- Ridiculous swag. I recycled almost 2/3 of all the freebies I received and I still had this much…
- The BlogHer Unconference and the amazing amount of knowledge exchanged and connections made.This event is the perfect way to end the weekend. It’s always exactly what it should be.
- Spending time with inspiring mothers who patiently listened as I talked about wanting kids and swooning ovaries. Here’s one trying to ignore me as I continue to talk about it…
- Listening, learning, laughing, building new relationships and strengthening old ones. Ironic that at a blogging conference I wasn’t blogging. But I was too busy interacting to be bothered with logging on.
Thanks to all those I met. You’ve restored my hope in the humanity behind the Internet and reminded me just how powerful women speaking their truths can be.
Topics: blogging | 5 Comments »
Dysplasia isn’t just for dogs…
By Tarable | May 18, 2008
Hip dysplasia is when you are born with your femur dislocated from your hip socket, although most people know it as a hereditary disease most frequently associated with dogs. It usually manifests from birth, is most common in firstborn girls and is caused in part by breech birth.
Although if you ask my dad, he’ll swear the doctor was responsible.
I was born with left hip dysplasia, which meant lots of X-rays as a baby to determine if the doctor could “fix” what was wrong with me. The solution involved a brace (similar to the one in the picture above), a spica cast and took almost nine months of my early physical development.
I don’t remember much about my time in the cast, but it must have been difficult for all those involved. It’s bad enough having a cast on both legs when you can walk and take care of yourself. Can you even imagine what it must have been like to take care of a baby in cast like this?
Fortunately for my parents, the doctor setting the cast was thinking of the hard times they were going to encounter when he fashioned a handle for the back of my cast. My parents had a convenient way of picking me up and carrying me around. I was like a baby suitcase. Worn down my entire left leg and half of my right, the cast forced me to drag myself around on my arms because normal crawling was not possible.
The first time I put much thought into any of my early developmental experiences was in my last quarter of massage school. I had a teacher who did a lot of somatic patterning and thought it most interesting when she heard of my situation as an infant. For an assignment in her class, we were given a list of questions to ask our mothers about our birth story.
It was interesting to hear my parents talk about my time wearing the cast. They said that everything was ten times harder than with any other baby but that they always knew where I was with that thing on. Family members thought it was adorable to see me drag myself and the cast around. And then, when the doctor took the cast off, I started walking right away. I never crawled like a “normal” child.
(Interesting side note: I never took the bottle either, but that’s a completely different story.)
Like lots of older dogs, I seem to have a harder time with my hip as I age. There is lots of stretching, arnica, massage therapy and rolling around on tennis balls. What’s amazing is that I’ve always been able to do whatever I wanted to physically, from running a marathon to hiking over a thousand miles, without giving the slightest thought to my birth condition.
It simply never occurred to me that something that I went through more than 30 years ago would have such a far-reaching impact on my body. But, as I’m realizing, that’s what life is all about.
And radiation.
Sadly, none of the baby pics are of me. I’m working on changing that. Photo credit: Jenna7 and SpicaCast.com
Topics: wayback machine, reflection | No Comments »
Running thoughts
By Tarable | February 20, 2008
When I first started, I was a smoker, only doing it for a boy I was dating. I didn’t have any intention of continuing on with it, but something happened. The way it made me feel alive, present in the moment and meditative all at the same time…I couldn’t resist it’s lure. This year marks my ten-year anniversary of doing it. Yep, I’m a runner. (And one of those annoying ones who gushes about the “runner’s high” and loves talking to other runners about things like shoes!)
Running in my mid-twenties was a time of training hard. You could say I got a little OCD on the documentation aspect of it all. I loved keeping notes about my workouts and planning for the next event. This kind of behavior was perfect for race build-up, so I entered lots and lots of races. There was something about the high of race morning and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. Plus, I really loved wearing the race shirts. Maybe it was because I’d never done any sports in high school but I geeked out on running hard.
My first marathon was a humbling experience. I made it halfway, to mile 13, when I heard a sound come from my knee. This happened on an uphill overpass and when I slowed to a walk at an aid station, I knew something was wrong. I tried to start running again and couldn’t do it. Walking was painful and yet the thought of dropping out of the race was almost more painful. All that training wasted.
I was talked out of not continuing on with the race and received my first DNF (Did Not Finish). The doctor diagnosed it as “runner’s knee”, or officially, chrondomalacia of the patella. After being fit for a brace and told that I couldn’t run for four months, I attended physical therapy, learned lots about my knee, and figured out I was doing everything wrong during my marathon training. Running on banked surfaces and not doing any lower-body strength training were my culprits. Talk about learning a lesson the hard way.
It’s never been about the speed for me. I know some runners who are always striving for that faster mile, convinced that hours of interval training will shave off that last thirty seconds in a race. Not me. I’m just happy to be running, feeling my body move and trying to find the right pace to put me in the zone. Depending on time of day, location of run or a number of different factors, that can mean a slow, easy saunter or a high-paced, long-striding gallop. However, it never means I’m fast. After ten years of doing it, I’m not going to get any faster. And I’m okay with that.
Now that I’m in my thirties, running has continued to evolve along with me. Where it used to be about pushing myself and ignoring the pain, it’s now more about pain management and listening to my body. I hear what my knees are telling me, I breathe into my muscles and I engage my core. It may sound silly but these are the things that keep me going mile after mile and insure that I’ll be able to continue to run for a few more decades.
Besides my running anniversary, I’ve had running on my brain since I finalized my summer race schedule and started “officially” training. I’m not as OCD about keeping track of my workouts as I used to be; now, like so much of my life, it’s online. While I don’t have any marathons planned for this season, I am looking forward to doing some new races (a triathlon in Salida) and continuing my tradition of old favorites (5th year for the Bolder Boulder baby). I can’t wait to log more miles, collect more race shirts and rock it hard in my favorite running skirt.
Topics: running, reflection, training, goals | 3 Comments »
My favorite shot from January
By Tarable | February 7, 2008
Topics: photography, projects, Colorado, mountains | No Comments »
My messy mission statement
By Tarable | February 5, 2008
I was talking to a friend about my return to the stage and some of the fears I had. She suggested I write down why I wanted to get back up there. Without worrying about how it would sound, I scribbled my reasons for wanting to try stand-up comedy again. My hope is that perhaps, by making the list public, it will serve as a reminder of why I’m subjecting myself to the torture of trying to make strangers laugh. Again.
- the fear of not being funny
- the challenge of writing new material
- a creative exploration into who I am
- the dedication and energy needed to pull it off
- the chance to employ some old-school improv skills
- to take the risk and put myself out there
- to feel the rush of adrenaline when there are laughs
- to help my writing
- blog content
- meet new people in the community
- to find out about other creative opportunities
- shine up that stage presence
- the mic, bitch
It’s happening soon. Excuse me while I go work on some new material.
Photo credit: Gratzer via Flickr
Topics: comedy, goals | 2 Comments »
Week 2 of Project 366
By Tarable | January 20, 2008
I’m a little behind in posting these, but wanted to make sure to get them up. There were some good things that happened this week. Any time you win a free lunch…come on…
I won a free veggie burger at Mustard’s Last Stand. Love the food and the nice guys that work there.
This is the downtown branch of the public library. The Boulder Creek path is right in front of it and every time I see those blue dots, I think of what it’ll be like when the 100-year flood comes through town.
Boulder is the one of the bike-friendliest towns I’ve ever lived.
The end of Brooke’s birthday potluck and proof that it was delicious.
I didn’t have a shot of my new bangs and was bored at the office on Monday. After looking at this picture some more, I love that it looks like I have two giant monitors growing out of both sides of my head.
This photography project is shaping up to be much harder than I thought it would be. But I like that I’m sticking with it, even when it gets challenging. A great exercise in discipline and finishing something you’ve started, even when you may not want to.
Topics: photography, projects | No Comments »
Burdens of being a bangable blog babe…
By Tarable | January 15, 2008
Yep. That’s me. I’m the number five most bangable blog babe for the month of January. This list is maintained by one Maddog, a self-described lifelong learner and pick-up artist extraordinaire. I’ve had some time to reflect on the “honor” that has been bestowed upon me and have decided to follow the advice that Maddog left in a comment on my other blog. I am going to wear my crown with pride!
To be completely honest, when I first saw the post , I felt a little dirty. There was a small foul-smelling wave of disgust that washed over me. But that didn’t last long because my comedic timing, also known as my onstage survival instinct, kicked in and I began to think of the joke potential that was just handed to me on a shiny blogspot platter. This was a gift.
Some of the funny one-liners that came about as a result of my inclusion on this list:
- “Too bad you have to wait eleven more months to find out if you’re the most bangable blog babe of 2008.”…a friend from high school
- “You totally could have been #4!”…my co-worker Daniel
- “This is what you get when you’re a girl on the Internet.”…Derek, another co-worker
- “I’m so proud of you and disappointed in humanity.”…my supportive boyfriend
- “Why didn’t he install the wijit?”…too many people
- “Check one of my goals for 2008 off the list.”…me
Part of the beauty of The Most Bangable Blog Babes list is that it’s the perfect compliment/insult*. Am I offended or do I laugh? It’s really hard not to laugh when you start reading the pathetic lines that he assigns each girl. And yet, to give Maddog some credit, at least he’s honest. He’s not pretending to be interested in my blogging abilities or my mental talents. Just my oral ones. Ha.
Veronica Belmont** may be a sexy geek, but I’m a bangable blog babe. It’s 2008 and I’m okay with that. To answer the title of the post, I haven’t really encountered any burdens associated with my honor. Except that I have to look bangable all the time. Fortunately Maddog is picking five new blog hotties to feature in a few weeks, which means that I can go back to being merely cute and dorky.
*Another good compliment/insult…”Those bangs make your face look thinner!”
**My new bangs may have been slightly influenced by her.
Topics: blogging, goals | 5 Comments »
Week 1 of Project 366
By Tarable | January 10, 2008
As promised, here are the shots from the first week of my creative undertaking, Project 366. It’s amazing how much taking a picture a day and looking for shots has already helped to increase my awareness. I especially love that more than half of the pictures I took feature snow. Some big events have taken place in 2008, including a ribbon-cutting,
and a hair-cutting.
I took many snowy walks, attended my first Bat Mitzvah…
and drank a lot of coffee.
2008 is shaping up to be a good one. While I like what I’ve done so far, I can see where this might get challenging.
Topics: photography, projects, Colorado | No Comments »
Mountaineering my first post…
By Tarable | January 1, 2008
As I begin this new year and blog, I wanted to start things off by looking back to a trip I took up the mountain. Early in fall, I successfully summitted Mt. Huron, a 14,000 foot peak located twenty miles outside of Leadville, Colorado. I got to the top but not without some struggles. When reflecting on the lessons learned, there were some ideas that stood out as being important for making it up the mountain and, really, for achieving any goal.
You talkin’ to me?
My mind can be a tricky one. It likes to tell me that I’m not physically or mentally capable enough to do something. (I know, I know… your mind doesn’t do such devious and self-defeating things!) While normally ignored at lower elevations, something about the lack of oxygen on the mountain amplifies this small voice and makes it much more convincing. This is when I rely on a combination of methods to help me deafen that mind-noise of negative thinking. Part of me simply ignores the bad stuff while another part of me begins to remember the numerous times that I’ve pushed myself and succeeded. Doing these in equal parts along with a sprinkling of cheesy theme music and I’m suddenly making the choice to not listen to that voice.
Now, you…you are talking to me
Massage school taught me how to listen to my body. Before that, I’d ignore the pain I felt, the tightness of certain muscles and the knots that indicated more than tension. But the thing is, once you start listening to what your body has to say, it’s hard to stop. On the way up the summit, my lungs were telling me that they wanted more oxygen while my legs were letting me know they didn’t appreciate the steepness of the trail. By tuning in to these messages, it became easier to figure out how I was really doing. As the sum of many parts working together, I like to listen to my body because it always has something important to say.
Repeat as needed
Breathe. Looking back on every physical challenge that I’ve undertaken, from running a marathon to backpacking 500 miles, remembering to breathe has been critical in my successful handling of difficult situations. When you’re above 13,000 feet, the air is much thinner and there is not much to be had. If you forget to breathe, you start feeling dizzy right away. It sounds silly, but with that kind of instant physical and mental feedback, you have no choice but to breathe as much as you can.
Ain’t nothing too small to celebrate
At about 13,500 feet, I started hitting my wall. I wasn’t feeling well but could see the summit. Adam suggested taking a short break to drink some water. As I sat down, he pulled a Payday candy bar out of his pack. The angels started singing and suddenly I felt like maybe, just maybe, I was going to make it. While I hadn’t made it to the summit yet, celebrating the achievement of making it that far helped me to muster the strength to get to the top.
Wear a skirt
Make it fun. Dress it up. Put yourself in something that makes you feel like kickin’ ass. Whatever the challenge, having your superhero outfit on (metaphorically or literally) helps you to play the part. I wore a dress up the mountain because I loved how I felt in that dress. The wind between my legs was exhilarating and motivating as I hiked the trail in my summit skirt. When you feel good about what you’re wearing, you can accomplish anything. Just because I hike with boys doesn’t mean I have to look like one. (I’m a big fan of the local company, SkirtSports, that makes an awesome line of functional and funky fitness skirts. This was the same dress that I wore to run the
With a little help
The support system that you surround yourself with is critical. Not only will they show you where to go but they will also point out the best way of getting there and help if needed. With extreme physical challenges, your support crew is of utmost importance. You want to have people around that you trust, like and can still deal with if frustrations run high. Friends and strangers alike helped me to
All of the above lessons are ones that resonated with me as I tried to put some meaningful thought into what I want this online space to be. As a mission statement/clarification of purpose, talltara will be a place to document my offline adventures, whatever they may be, and to experiment creatively, whatever that might mean. Some of my initial goals…
In 2008, I’m returning to the stage to indulge my stand-up tendencies. I thought it would be interesting to share tales of my comedy journey and stories from the stage.
On the photographic front, I’m participating in Project 365, which involves taking a picture a day for all of 2008. I’ll be showcasing my daily photos here but will be continue posting other pics on Flickr.
Other topics I’m interested in pursuing and playing with…backpacking trips, triathlon training, sustainable design, community building, learning to juggle, conscious consumerism, and whatever new projects/obsessions/passions happen to cross my path.
Thanks for joining me and my work in progress. And a super big thanks to James Carrington for the pictures and to the Remabulous Caroline Donahue, for a much-needed creative kick in the pants.
Topics: plans, projects, blogging, goals, Colorado, mountains | No Comments »
