"You Should Have Heard the Horn Section"

I listened to classical music while commuting today. It's not completely out of the ordinary for me to do this but to keep it on the station the entire time is.

I once read an article about in inventor who will do something different just for a new perspective. While I felt like I was in a cartoon or that my drive was incredibly dramatic - you should have heard the horn section when I made a left turn - the thought came to me to see if I could keep this up for a week. Classical music is supposed to make you think better. I let you know how that works out.

Hide and Seek: Exchange Art

I've recently discovered something I didn't know existed: letterboxing. I've spent the afternoon decorating my notebook at left and printing out clues.

Essentially people all over the world hand carve or buy a rubber stamp, put it with a blank notebook inside a weatherproof box and hide it. Then they write up a clue describing how to find it, and post it online. Once located, explorers stamp their own notebook with said stamp and bring a stamp of their own to mark the notebook they found. When I have described this practice, people often ask, "Why?" That question never entered my mind. I only thought, "Where?!" If that's also your first thought, you can start searching (and learn more about its origins in England) here or here.

Most of the stamps are hand carved so it's like going on a scavenger hunt to exchange art. 

What's cooler than that?

Happy letterboxing!

Halfway to the Weekend (this time tomorrow)

I have no news at this moment per say. Per say makes it sound like perhaps I do but am not telling you. Hmm. I am moving forward toward some of those goals in the last post so I guess that's something.

B and I just walked back from the library. What a beautiful evening! If fall were like this most days and lasted longer, I'd be more of a fan. We have been eating better already. Cold air inspires warm kitchens.

Un-resolutions: Part II

On New Year's Eve of last year I posted this list of un-resolutions - things I'd like to see happen but didn't want to call resolutions due to the rigid commitment that implies and my lack of it. To my great surprise, many of them - including those that seemed the most unlikely -  happened:

1. Do Randolph Arts and Crafts Show in June - DONE
2. Go to Hawaii - DONE
3. Go surfing (in Hawaii) - DONE
4. Snowboard on a "real" mountain
5. Lift more - DONE
6. Run a half or full marathon - DONE (just ran a half last Sunday)
7. Be more grateful
8. Don't let P.I.T.A.s get to me
9. Read, read, read as always - DONE
10. Attain Design Certifications
11. Try to get off this computer more since I'm on one all day - DONE
12. And as always, be inspired by one of my favorite groupings of words ever, Desiderata - DONE

That's 8 out of 12. I am extremely pleased by this! Number 2 and 3 were complete, hope-I-do-this-someday pipe dreams. I never believed in this writing things down, but it seems there's something to it. Someone told me it's the Law of Attraction. With three months left in this year, I'm putting a new list out into the cosmos. Who says New Year's is the only time for lists?

1. Attain Design Certifications
2. Go to Venice with B
3. Finish kitchen project
4. Live by the ocean
5. Live in the mountains
6. Swim to the other side of the lake where we stay in the Adirondacks
7. Change my environment
8. Put smashing designs online
9. Stay fit
10. Always have a goal when getting on computer - try not to get sidetracked
11. See lava in person

Sure I still want to be more grateful and snowboard a real mountain, but the old list still stands and the new one just has some new ideas. I make the rules here, right? Do you have things you want to do? Dreams that just idly float around in your head? Feel free to add your list - short or long - in the comments. 

Running Fool

Yesterday it would have been easier for a fish to breathe the air. It was not the kind of day where you wake up and think, "I'm going to go for a nice long run." But that's what I did. It was half marathon day.

Months ago it had seemed like such a good idea. My mileage was slipping, and I needed a goal. It worked, too. I've run 20-30 miles every month. Not a lot by obsessed runner standards, but there are just other things I'd rather do. Like not run - and kayak and mountain bike. You know if you've been reading this blog any amount of time.

At the start I'm already thinking this is going to suck and by mile three I walked a few strides uphill. Then I got in my groove and realized around mile six I probably wasn't going to feel any worse than I did then so kept on. My logic being the more I run, the sooner I can stop.

I came in five minutes off my best time and finished the 13.1 miles in 2 hours 17 minutes. I was pretty happy with that. I have to admit I stopped trying so hard at mile twelve and walked some more. I thought why hurt myself at this point. 120 people needed medical attention because of the heat, and I ran by a guy lying on the pavement with emergency personal asking, "Do you know your name? Sir, do you know your name?" Always a reality check to be an event where people collapse and not know who they are.

Big Typography

I decided to enter a design contest. I can submit as many designs as I like and can see this becoming addicting. Rules: Use this quote, "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." I really have to get to bed so must stop with my first try for tonight.

Read more about the contest and see more entries.

My Favorite Link of the Day

hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com

Alter Ego

I am safely back from a blissful stay in the Adirondacks where my alter ego did all kinds of things boring old Everyday Me doesn't.


Here's a short list:
1. She ate bacon every day - lots of it

2. One night when offered homemade bread fresh from the oven she couldn't resist a slice. Everyday Me would would jump at the chance, too. But she should would not have painted real butter on it with the provided paintbrush the size of one you would use on the molding in your house.

3. She drank Chardonnay - and liked it


Everyday Me combated the bacon and bread consumption with lake swimming, hikes, walking, kayaking and jogging. I hope I live in a place one day where I can do all those things most days just like vacationing in the Adirondacks. It's such an appealing way of life.

B also went outside his lines and not only read a book for enjoyment, but finished it and played a mean game of Boggle with a group of new friends who invited us.

Grounded

I took this yesterday morning while taking a walk after swimming in the lake. B and I don't want for activity or food here.

Today we walked this road to the end and back (a two-mile roundtrip), I went swimming (B's not much for polar bear plunges) and then we hiked for couple of hours to the summit of Mt. Sawyer and back. We enjoyed the view (pictured below), chatted and mosied back down somehow making it to the car before the rain started. Then I wanted to stop and look at some artisan-made furniture in craft tents along the road. Moments later we enjoyed a complete deluge that drenched us all the way to our underwear since rain coats really just keep your upper half dry. It was fun running uphill back to the car as tiny rivers streamed beneath our boots.

From Where I'm Sitting