October 17, 2011

Reason #75 that I love Crossfit Roots.

On a VERY regular basis, I get my ass kicked during a Crossfit workout. I’m totally used to that. But I must admit, I love that the people doing it are amazing.

For example, this morning I deadlifted 100 lbs. Which I thought was awesome.

And then I hear a fellow athlete, Suzanne, call out her deadlift weight.

145 lbs.

Which is even more awesome.

This is Suzanne:

I wouldn't fuck with this one if I were you.

I’ve known Suzanne for almost two years now. We work out together regularly at the buttcrack of dawn and we both share a slightly sarcastic sense of humor. Meaning that if you’re in class with us at 5:30am, one of us will probably be cracking jokes. Hey, you do what you have to in order to survive these workouts.

The other thing I love about Suzanne? She’s 23 years older than me.

But the absolute BEST thing about Suzanne? She holds the world record for being the oldest woman to row across the Atlantic. Not only was she part of a team of rowers going for the trans-Atlantic speed record (they missed it due to cross-current issues), but when she was finished with the journey, she also picked up an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, MRSA.

Holy shit. As if the rowing wasn’t hard enough.

I have crazy respect for athletes like Suzanne because honestly, they are one of the main things that keep me coming back into Crossfit Roots again and again. I can only hope one day to be as accomplished.

(I’m okay without the MRSA though.)

February 2, 2011

A totally modern and First World pregnancy problem that my grandmother never had to deal with…

No, it’s not what apps I should use to keep track of the fetal kicks.

What do I put on my labor & delivery playlist?

I’m such a first-time mom.

GAH.

I’ve never been good at putting together music mixes, whether it was back in high school, making tapes for friends, or more recently, when my husband and I were courting. We would make mixed CDs for one another and it was always such a struggle. Picking out just the right songs, putting them in an order that made sense AND sounded good together, wondering about what the song choice said about me…so many things to think about.

I’d rather just hit ‘random‘.

But an event like this feels like it needs more than just ‘random’ and now that I’ve begun to think about what I want to listen to on the BIG DAY, I’m drawing a blank.

What if I put the wrong song on there and it ends up annoying me, ruining the mood that I’ve carefully established for helping me to get through contractions? Not only am I going to hate that song forever but it might just make the entire ordeal harder? If that’s even possible?

And then I start debating…do I want fast songs? Mellow songs? Songs with a good beat? Songs with a message (I thought “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa would be a natural choice) or songs without words?

Just to prove how awful I am at all this…I tried working on the playlist this past weekend and after three hours, I had a total of three songs on there.

Seriously.

Three.

Of course, they’re three really good songs 1 but who has that kind of time?

Now can you see why I’m having troubles here? And can you see why I feel silly for having these troubles?

Honestly, this is one of the last things left on my to-do list to feel truly ready for the baby coming. 2

Well, this and getting the car seat installed. But in the grand scheme of things, they feel pretty equal in importance. Baby’s safety versus the soundtrack for one of the most amazing experiences ever?

Right?

This is where I ask for your help. I’m going to crowdsource 3 this query to those who know better.

What songs should I have on this playlist?

Any and all recommendations will be considered. Moms and music snobs (and those who are both) especially encouraged to chime in here. Thanks in advance for the help peeps.

It really does take a village to create a playlist.

{photo: vasta}

  1. Stars, Jack Penate, and Beth Orton ↩
  2. As if you can ever feel “truly ready” when it comes to having a baby… ↩
  3. Good use of a current tech buzzword, no? ↩
January 16, 2011

Newborns don’t need that much attention

Because I’m anticipating a lot of free time from about mid-March through the end of the year, I decided it would be fun to document this year like I did in 2008.

Besides being an amazing challenge in mindfulness, Project 365 forces me to take more pictures while providing me a visual aid to better remember and appreciate each passing day.

But be warned. If the first sixteen days are any indication, it looks like there are many more snow and food shots in the upcoming months.

Just until the baby is born.

Then it will be all boobies babies, all the time.

(And yes, that is a bowl of melted chocolate.)

You can see my progress here in my Project 365 Flickr set…if you’re interested.

April 18, 2009

My mom, the ex-con

Mom's first blog post

Writing her first blog post

Today is my mom’s birthday and this time last year, she was celebrating in a federal penitentiary.

She crossed a protest line, trespassing onto federal property and, for standing up for what she believed in, my mom was sentenced to a month in prison. Upon arriving, she bought two chocolate cupcakes from the prison commissary, one to eat on my sister’s birthday and one for her own. My mom spent her 66th birthday in a cell with a stale cupcake.

She recently posted her thoughts on a very unique one-year anniversary. (Yes, my mom has a blog–doesn’t yours?)

My favorite part of her look back…

“But the growth has not been without the pain. I am not comfortable now. I question more, have less patience with the wrongs in the world and wonder, more then ever, where my place in all of it should be.”

I couldn’t ask for a more amazing mother. She inspires me to not accept things as they are and to speak out against injustice.

Happy birthday Mom. I love you and am glad that this year, you won’t have to worry about any guards yelling at you.

For more about my mom’s social justice advocacy and time in prison, check out her other posts…

And, if you really want to give her a thrill, leave a comment on her blog. It means more to her than any present.