1000 miles on my Commuter Bike

I thought I'd hit 1000 miles earlier this month but I let my odometer sit at 970 then took vacation and got sick.  So, after an afternoon of riding, I finally hit 1000 while riding around the tidal basin.

Goal 4: Complete One Unassisted Pullup

I realize that pullups are second nature to many people, but I've generally just treated pullup bars as a fun place to play.  Despite having one in my kitchen, I still am unable to complete a full pullup unassisted.  So, my newest goal is to complete one full unassisted pullup (any grip) by my next birthday.  Definitely an attainable goal, but I need to stop simply hanging from the bar and start trying to lift myself up :-)

Stairclimbing Season has Started!

After my company discontinued the popular stair climbing competition around Christmas this year, several coworkers and I started up our own office contest.

Week one is done and I have not climbed as much as I should have (and eaten way more than I should have).

I'm using this to train for the Hustle Up the Hancock on 26 February. I need to get training...

Hiccuping Underwater

I'm still trying to get over the whole breathing underwater and being okay with it thing in SCUBA class.  I had my first hiccup while using a regulator tonight.  I guess I must be loosening up and getting more comfortable in the water because I almost never hiccup while tense or nervous :-)

Hustle Up the Hancock 2012!

I just registered for this winter's Hustle Up the Hancock race.  The race is 94 flights (1632 stairs) up the Hancock building in Chicago.  The race is a fundraiser for the Respiratory Health Association in Chicago.  I already usually take the stairs instead of the elevator and I commute by bike so I think my base is okay, but climbing specific training starts next week.  I expect to do a lot of training on the actual stairs (fortunately I work in a building with a 300 stair long stairwell) and stairmill; I'm also planning on working some lifting in to increase my upper body strength (I've heard it's helpful to pull yourself up the railings), yoga, and swimming.  In the past my biggest issue has been pushing myself to train so I'm hoping mapping out a training plan for this race will help out.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Goal 3: Swim More

Although I never swam competitively, I have swum for pleasure and exercise my entire life.  However, now that I moved two blocks from a pool, I just never seem to go anymore.  My number one excuse is that I like how my hair is at exactly that day.  A lame excuse, but completely in line with my priorities in life.  So, I will set a day and time where I at least have to go to the pool.  If I don't want to get in that's fine.  I figure once I'm actually at the pool it should be easier to just jump in.

What is a Geek?

First definition in Merriam Webster's: "a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake."

Makes me stop and wonder what all the self-proclaimed geeks I know are actually doing in their free time...

Mean Girls

Mean Girls was on TV tonight.  I haven't seen it for a few months, which is probably the longest I've gone without seeing it since it was released.  Mean Girls is so ridiculous in its caricatures of female subculture, but at the same time, it's the most relate-able movie I have ever seen.  It is hysterical, nuanced, and brilliantly written.  I've probably seen it a few hundred times and it is still enjoyable today.  The characters are funny, tragic and sympathetic at the same time.  When it came out in theaters I thought it sounded like a horribly trashy high school clique movie.  However, I was willing to give Tina Fey the benefit of the doubt and I do not regret that decision.

In summary, if you haven't seen it, watch Mean Girls ASAP.

Red Head Day

The ginger discussion on Glee got me doing some more research into a festival I read about this past September in Breda in the Netherlands, Roodharigen.  Maybe I'll check it out next year.  Two of my favorite things: red heads, and bikes.  Any other red heads interested?

Glee Gingers

This week's episode of Glee was a little slow, but I appreciate the little redhead supremacy rant.  While I think that the words said are true, the tone seemed a bit mocking (as fit in the scene).  It is true that the red head gene (MC1R) will be dormant soon and completely out of the gene pool a few generations later, based on current population models.  However, life is different for red heads and while it is not necessarily good or bad, it is something that, based on conversations I've had with blonds and brunettes, is not appreciated by non-red heads.  However, I'm still glad that red heads got some love :-)

Mobile Pub?

Is it legal to serve beer for profit from a bicycle?  If so, I may have found a new job :-)

Keg Bike

Goal 2: Bike Tour

On my vacation this past summer, I was hiking in the Cinque Terre with a Belgian retiree who asked me where were some interesting spots to visit if he were to go to the US.  I initially rattled off the major eastern cities like New York and Washington, but beyond that I had no idea.  I started thinking about why I seemed to vacation in Europe more often than the US.  Obviously, the foreignness of it is appealing, but the west coast is just as foreign to me as a New Englander as the UK.  I think the major factor for me is easy accessibility.  As a non-driver, travelling the US can be difficult; this issue is not as substantial in western Europe.
I got to thinking and decided that in order to see the US, I would be self-reliant and ride my bicycle.  So, for my next big vacation, I want to do a bike tour.  I have several options in mind; I plan to have this accomplished by the end of summer 2012.

Transportation Isolation

As the weather has been changing and my respiratory system not keeping
up, I've been taking the metro more frequently. One aspect of public
transit that I miss when biking is the social atmosphere. Unless I am
riding my bike with someone, it is just me, alone on my bike.
However, even when travelling alone on metro, there are always other
people around. Even if you aren't feeling particularly outgoing that
day, metro conversation eavesdropping is a great way to spend a
commute. Since I know that I really enjoy metro eavesdropping, I am
sometimes inspired to up the zaniness factor of my conversations on
metro, for entertainment purposes. There is less mental strain since
you just need to pay attention to where your stop is, not worrying
about how you get between points A and B. If I were to zone out on my
bike, I'd probably get hit by a car (it nearly happens frequently
enough when I am paying attention).
Public transportation is a great way to bring a community together.
Community building is ultimately it's purpose. However, the metro
community, often overlooked by those who rely heavily on metro, is a
critical piece of bringing people together that is often overlooked
when weighing the costs and benefits of public transit.

Goal 1: Learn to SCUBA Dive

I have always loved the water and the feeling of freedom that comes
with being able to float around, twisting around any which way without
gravity reminding you that you aren't designed to keep your hips over
your shoulders. A goal that I have for the next year is to learn to
SCUBA dive. This would allow me to explore new areas and increased
freedom in the water. I have never done any freediving, so I have
never been able to hang out under water for sustained periods of time.
I have signed up for a SCUBA class in November, and given that I have
a lot of domestic airline credit to use this winter, hopefully I can
escape to the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico to get my open water dives
in some particularly cold and bleak DC winter weekend.

Awesome Yoga Opportunity

The roof of the House of Sweden is one of the coolest views of DC around.  Plus, free yoga is always a good time :-)

Reflections on the Past Year

I figured a good way to get started on my goal setting for the next year is to determine what I have accomplished in the past year.

1. Completed my 200 hour certification to teach yoga.
This was a long term goal of mine that I was not expecting to accomplish this year.  I began working at a new yoga studio last summer.  They offer a training at the studio, three or four weekends a month for about three and a half months.  When it came time to apply, I realized that at that moment, I had the time and money to commit, the willingness to do it, and the ability to do it easily as I already worked at the studio and spent a lot of time there.  I realized that the only thing at that time stopping me from doing the training was me.  So, I signed up, didn't get much sleep for a few months, and came out with a different outlook on life.

2. Lived in one house for longer than 9 months.
This may not seem like a real accomplishment, but given that I haven't lived in one place for more than nine months since I was 17, this was definitely a change in my lifestyle.


3. Bought a bicycle.
This was a major change to my lifestyle and has played a large role in my future goal setting.  Prior to the bicycle, I walked most places.  If I didn't have time to walk (distance was not much of a factor) I would metro.  This limited my ability to do things that were not on the same metro line, or within a mile or two.  Upon getting my bike, I began traveling almost exclusively by bike.  I began to see the metro area differently.  I was able to cover more distance and see areas that are not easily public transit accessible.  I have harbored an interest in transportation and regional and urban design since I was very young.  After getting the bike, I began to realize that a personal car free society is really possible (it might take awhile though).  In a future post I will write about my transportation and planning focused goals.


4. Learned (basic) Swedish.
I studied Swedish during the fall semester (2010) and this summer.  I started studying as a step toward accomplishing my goal of living in Northern Europe (topic for goal setting post).


5. Learned (some) Finnish.
I took Finnish lessons this past spring semester, despite not really having the time to fully commit to it.  However, it was fun, I did learn some Finnish, and took a step towards one of my goals of moving to Northern Europe.

6. Vacation on the French Riviera
This vacation came into being very haphazardly one day as my friend and I were half joking about going to Monte Carlo.  A few hours later, we had plane tickets to spend two weeks wandering around Southern Europe, between Barcelona and Cinque Terre.  One of my favorite movies is Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief so I chose to spend the largest allotment of time in and around Nice.  The glitz of Monaco was surreal; I had never seen a yacht store before, never mind a dozen within a few blocks of each other.  While it seemed very superficial, in that everything was so perfect, it was absolutely stunning and I wish I had been able to spend more time in Monaco itself.  I was shocked at how nice I found Nice considering that I had heard from so many people that it is a gritty industrial town.  The art was great, the beaches gorgeous (I'm not a huge sand beach fan) and the city so laid back, but not lazy.
This vacation also made me realize that I am capable of traveling on my own in places where I do not speak the language (in Spain and Italy) and that I am the type of person who likes to roll with the punches and see where life takes her.

Birthday Reflections

As I mentioned in an earlier post, birthdays are my favorite time of
year to reflect on the past year and set goals for the next. It is
also a great excuse to spend time with friends, who are not
necessarily overburdened as they would be around other holidays. This
past birthday was fun for me, but sad for Georgetown. It came out
that Syracuse is planning on leaving the Big East which would leave GU
without a strong in league rivalry. More seriously, Jack the Bulldog
(the older one, not the current mascot) died. So, birthday day was
fun, but somber for GU.

Over the next week I will begin posting on the status of the past
year, and my goals for the next year.

Diet Goal Setting

My goal with my recent diet attempt is not so much to lose weight, as to redefine my relationship with my food.  I know that with my current eating habits I have huge swings in energy, I lack motivation to get up and do anything, I have trouble focusing (possibly due to energy fluctuations), and feel the need to binge on sweets.  I proved to myself that I could go without sweets (although chocolate over 50% cocoa was not excluded) for three days.  On the fourth I broke.  For those three days I had no crazy energy swings, I was more focused and productive at work and at home than I have been in a very long time, and I felt good about myself.
I simply love my desserts, so I am going to start binge fest weekend early, and reattempt this diet to start my next year off with good intentions.  Many people use new year's as a time to set resolutions.  I prefer my birthday so over the next few days I will be posting with my new year resolutions.

Hiccups finally get some respect in the news...

The most recent New York Times Diagnosis column:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/12/think-like-a-doctor-a-case-of-hiccups/

Diet Fail

First fail on my diet whose primary goal was to prove to myself that I could go six days without cookies or sweets. On the morning of day four we had doughnuts at our morning meeting. I was going to say no but it was cold and I wanted just one. One turns to three and now I'm sitting at my desk, throat raw, feeling disgusted that I couldn't even make it six days. I'm taking the weekend off (Thursday night through Sunday afternoon) so I'll stick it out for the rest of the week and reattempt Monday.

Welcome!

Welcome to my latest attempt at blogging!  I've tried to start before but was never able to get going.  My intent with this blog is to detail my journey to living a yogic life: ethical, compassionate, kind.  I also have several personal projects that I need some accountability for so I will try to use this blog as a forum to do update readers and hold myself accountable to self-imposed deadlines.

I chose the name for this blog, "Hiccuping Yogi," to play with the fact that I have suffered from chronic hiccups since I was a baby, as well as from an inability to stay with something continuously.  Nearly every activity that I do, I do with hiccups to my practice every few months.

In subsequent posts I will update on activities I am currently pursuing, along with some metrics to shame me into action...