small things...

Finding focus

In the spirit of making 2010 the stunner of a year I know it can be, the focus of this blog is going to be altered somewhat over the course of the next 4 months.

Why you ask?

Let this image be your answer:

::Image via www.richard-seaman.com

That’s the Grand Canyon, folks. I know this because when I googled “grand canyon” this is what I found – I’ve never actually seen it for myself….But that’s all about to change!

That’s right.  I’ve signed up to train to hike the Grand Canyon and raise money for the Leukemia & lymphoma society’s Team in Training.  My hike is in May, my training starts next Saturday and the fundraising starts today. I have to raise $4200 and I’m shooting for at least $5000.  Soon (if not already) you’ll see a little icon on the sidebar of my page to link to my fundraising page.  If you feel so inclined click on over and make a donation! 

Like Obama’s campaign, I’m all about donations of any size.  If I can find 500 people to each donate $10 that’s all it would take.  Do I know 500 people?  I”m not sure.  Are you a person? I’m pretty sure.

$10, yo.

Anyhow, for the next 4 months, as I said, the focus of this blog will adjust a bit.  Or perhaps I should say this blog will be finding focus for the next 4 months.  I’ll be writing about my training, sharing pics of the trails and sharing stories from the trails.

follow along and lend your support!

If you can’t donate money…can you donate some advice? 

What is going to make this trip or break this trip?

I’m talking shoes, socks, gear, camera…what does the smartest traveler (not me) bring to the Grand Canyon?  Help a girl out.

I’M GOING TO THE GRAND CANYON!!!!!!!

seriously. this is exciting.

more to come…

dreamt I was Salt. (of salt n'pepa, that is)

Breakfast of a soon-to-be-champion

So I’m totally on the oatmeal bandwagon, I swear I am.  I know it’s benefits, I even like how it tastes.  BUT I’m soooo not adept at cooking the little suckers.  Mine, inevitably come out chewy and dry and paste-like and blech.  So a while back (before I gave up on oatmeal for a bit) I learned about overnight soaked oats.  Softens the oats up to shorten the cooking time.  and promises better tasting/textured oatmeal…this is what I was told anyways…I still can’t quite get it.  And plus, I think I might just hate a hot cereal.

The SOAKING however, life-changing.

Recently I tried a little experiment of my own.  Before hoping in the shower I mixed 1/3 c grapenuts, 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1tbsp ground flax and 1 tbsp grated coconut

topped it with soymilk, a banana and frozen blueberries and let it sit while I jumped in the shower.

When I’m dried and bath-robed the my perfectly softened oats/grape nuts are ready.  Perfect texture and the good kind of chewy.  I *heart* this breakfast.  Who needs cooked oats??

Now, on to conquer the world.

2010 = get modern

Holla! I have already satisfied a 2010 resolution…to get DVR!  I’m usually way behind the times with eeee-lek-trahniks.  For example:

• I have a microwave I rarely/never use, and I only have one b/c it was here when I got here…
• When my cell phone died last summer the t-mobile salesman first laughed and then had to look up instructions on how to try to fix my dinosaur of a phone. (he was successful in convincing me to upgrade)
• Until I moved, the tv I had was from highschool and I had to buy an adaptor just so I could use my DVD player.  poor old tv.

the real issue is that I’m FRUGAL as hell when it comes to stuff like this, combined with the fact that I’m not super confident about what the hell I’m buying, so I’d rather wait until my shit breaks.

HOWEVER, I had a real, deal motivating factor looming over me…the return of “Lost”, for it’s 6th and final season.  It is the only television show that I plan my week around (do other people do this?) and to say I am committed to this show is to practice making understatements.  But my new job has me working late into the evening?! and then take an hour long ride home?!  so I had to make a leap of faith and get me some modern-day teevee recording devices. 

wow.

Two things I’ve learned so far:

1. I *love* fast forwarding through commercials
2. There really is very little worth watching on television (this coming from a girl who just weeks ago would watch ANYTHING that was on)

But the best discovery I’ve found so far is the On-Demand button and all the free workouts to be discovered.  This discovery may be the push to finally get me to quit my over-priced but lovely gym membership.  A different workout every day all from the comfort of my home. hallelooyer.

Oh, hello, 2010…

I ushered 2010 in with much celebrating.  There was a blue moon, good friends, a trip down to the ice-covered beach at midnight and champagne, claro.  We headed to breakfast the next morning at my favorite spot and we got a parking spot out front a table right away and the best egg sandwich on my planet.  As we were leaving we noticed the line to get a seat now headed out the door, the cars double- parked lined the block.  I proclaimed that 2010 was already going my way!  An auspicious beginning indeed.

since then 2010 has been much more subdued.  A bit deflated even.  I’m wanting 2010 to be a stunner, but I seem to be stuck at the starting gate.  Or maybe I’m still in the locker room…or still in bed just dreaming of racing.  (This last is the most likely)

Yesterday, I went back to the-place-I-go-to-that-is-like-church-but-also-isn’t hoping for a little inspiration.  They are doing a month of sundays talking about The Four Agreements and I’d arrived for week two’s topic, “Don’t take anything personally.”  The comment that the minister made that had the greatest impact on me was, “don’t take anything personally, especially your own thoughts.”  Being weighed down, stifled and stymied by my own thoughts is nothing new…the idea of not taking it personally, is something brand-spankin-new.  I am a good day-dreamer, so good in fact that my real life rarely measures up.  But now I’m starting to realize that my real life rarely measures up, because I never give myself the chance to make those day-dreams happen. 

So for 2010 to be the stunner of a year I want it to be I have to get out of my head and out in the world.  less day dreams and more experiences.

How do I make this happen?  Without thinking too much about it… am I having a Nike moment?  Just do it…

Just do something.

how about I make a list…of everything I want to accomplish…and every day I do SOMETHING towards those goals.   EVERY DAY.

How about that?