Adventure Is Out There

My Week in Instagram (Week #164)

Not the most eventful week for me, really, but I suppose that's okay.


Sunday:

Well, not on Sunday. And I don't need resolutions to get to the
gym, anyway. ; )

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

Hoopin', hoopin', hoopin'...

Vacuumed Sylvie and she looks marvelous.

My pretty car.

Monday:

Bag o' percussion, ukulele, clarinet.

Got the next week's lesson done early.

Monday is a gym cardio day.

Tea and a treat with my book at Starbuck's.

Good stuff at Sac Choral.

Tuesday:

Sunshine

Six years ago...how far I've come! 

This made me laugh.

Wednesday:

Travelin' music teacher.

Re-posted this one, because Cali and I realized it's only
ONE MONTH 'til our trip!

I had my students make some banners, which will decorate the
school. 

Each one is an IB Learner Profile word. 

Came home to NEW RUNNING SHOES. Suddenly my whiny
butt wasn't whiny anymore and I HAD to get out there.

"Rub mah belleh!"

Thursday:

This week SUCKED as far as celebrity deaths went.

Our curriculum coach bought a TON of books, and I love that
she included this one.

Oh, Alan. We miss you already.

So. Many. Books.

Books.

More books. Awesome books.

More banners. They look great.

Friday:

That Friday feeling.

Best Twitter parody account ever.

Box o' percussion.

Some people really are special snowflakes.

Wine and blogging.

Saturday:

Normally I send my Saturday workouts (made by me) to Matt
for approval--he might tweak sets and reps or suggest adding
something or taking something away. But I didn't pre-approve this
one. I sent it after, and got an emphatic, "Excellent workout!!"
in response. 

A woman and her kettlebell.

Move To Burnham

According to Facebook, five years ago today, I posted this article to my feed, called "Let's Move To Burnham." The Guardian, a major UK newspaper, had profiled dear Burnham-on-Crouch, a small town in Essex, on the very outer edge of the eastern coast of England. 

Let's move to Burnham? Oh friends, I did.

It was August 2004, and I had never laid eyes on this place, but I had accepted a teaching job there and was off with a lot of excitement--and trepidation. And a new blog, to document the adventures (Wild and Absolutely True, all of them). My year there was not without its ups and downs, and ultimately, I chose to return to my native land...but I loved Burnham then, and always will.

What's interesting is that I posted this link on Facebook (as mentioned above), five years ago today. One month from today, I am scheduled to take a train out of London's Liverpool Street Station, and ride back to that glorious little town for a long-overdue visit. 

I can't wait.

Soul Food

So far, I've managed to play the piano every day in 2016. That's fifteen straight days, and I don't plan on stopping soon.

I've never been very good at practicing my craft, and that's one reason I'm not a concert pianist (the other being that my hands are tiny). Dr. Burnham's biggest beef with me in five years of clarinet instruction at Chico was that I didn't spend enough time in the practice room--and I didn't. I admit that. But practicing? Practicing is soul-crushing.

I love to play. I just hate practicing.

Tonight, I sat down at the piano to play through the theme song to "Hill Street Blues," and something occurred to me: I'm not practicing. I'm simply playing my piano. I'm playing through a piece I enjoy, stopping occasionally to fix mistakes and repeat difficult spots to help smooth them out. But it doesn't feel like practicing, it's simply making music and enjoying the process of watching it all come together.

How marvelous.

So I grabbed my ukulele, which I'd propped up against the side of the piano when I brought it home from work tonight, and started playing that, too. I haven't worked on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" in ages, and I didn't work on it tonight--I just played. And occasionally fixed a mistake here and there. I sang along.

When music is approached like this, it's not a chore anymore, it's a joy. There is great joy in making music, in putting a sound out into the empty space in front of you and hearing it interact with other sounds. Weaving notes together into harmony, and singing words out above it all. It's so easy to lose that joy when you're striving to be good at something.

It seems the best strategy is to just make music, and let greatness come to you. If you invite it in, it will come.

Fifteen straight days of playing "Hill Street Blues"--some days several minutes of correction and focus, and some days a simple, quick run-through before bedtime--has smoothed out many of the rough edges. I have more smoothing to do--I can't bear to call it "work"--and I know that as I continue my playing streak, this song will work it's way into my fingers even more, and soon, it will be as smooth and simple to me as Beethoven's Fur Elise or Joplin's The Entertainer, two favorites I never practiced...only played.

Fitness Goals For 2016

I don't do resolutions, and I'm certainly not focused on weight loss or any other such goals this year. But fitness and athletic goals are not a bad thing, and I've set some for myself. (I'm also only ten days into the year and finally putting this up.)

Running

1. Mile Time: I'd like to get to under 9:00. My current best is 9:38, and with some work, I know I can get below nine minutes in the next twelve months. I'll do speed drills and continue building my base of fitness to get there.
2. 5K time: My best ever, in December 2013, was 30:34, so tantalizingly close to under thirty minutes I could almost taste it. If I hadn't been wearing a floppy Santa suit, I might have had it. Then I started training for my first half marathon, and things slowed considerably as my running became less about speed and more about endurance and the run-walk method. So this year, I'm returning to my quest for the Sub-Thirty 5K. As Matt pointed out, with working on a new best mile time, this will surely follow.
3. Race Goals: I've asked a friend about being part of a relay team for the annual Eppie's Great Race (it's a triathlon with running, biking and kayaking here in Sacramento), as I'd love to do the run part, but I don't have a bike and I'm not experienced in kayaking. We'll see if anything comes of that. I'm eyeing a 12K race (that's about 7.5 miles) in May, but I'm not looking to do any half marathons in the first half of the year. I love the challenge--especially the training--and will continue to run long on Sundays because it's basically my version of going to church. But the races take a lot out of me and I want to take a break from them until at least next fall. That said, I'm eyeing the Yosemite Half Marathon, just because it would be amazing to run in Yosemite National Park.

Lifting

1. Dead Lift: My current best is 150 pounds, one rep. Matt assures me that will soon be demolished (not in weight, but in number of reps) and I believe him. I'm constantly getting stronger. I don't think it's unreasonable to work towards dead lifting 175 pounds before 2016 is finished.
2. Leg Press: My current best is 185. I haven't done this one in a while because I so rarely get to the actual gym anymore, aside from a cardio day on Mondays. On Tuesday and Thursday I work out in Matt's garage (no leg press machine) and on Saturdays, in my own garage (pretty basic equipment). But at some point, I'd like to make an effort to work on my leg press again, and get it to 200 pounds, or more. Hey, I used to carry around 220 pounds--no reason to think I can't press that much with these badass legs.
3. Bench Press: Current best is about 45-50 pounds. I just want to be able to press more than that.

Other Fitness Goals

1. Hiking: I want to hike more. California is a gorgeous place and I simply do not get out into nature enough. I've already done Mt. Diablo, so some possibilities for this year include Mt. Tam in the Bay Area, some hikes around Lake Tahoe, and wherever else I decide. 
2. Equipment: Right now, my home workouts have to revolve around resistance bands, a 25-pound kettlebell, an agility ladder, a hula hoop, and a balance board. It's certainly a good start, and I can get some decent Saturday workouts in without having to drive 15 miles to the gym in Roseville. But the more I learn about fitness and training (and the more time I spend around Matt, who is constantly adding to his inventory, making me look at this stuff and drool), the more I want a few fun items to keep my home workouts (resistance on Saturday, cardio on Wednesdays) a little more exciting and varied. Some things I want to add this year include:
• More kettlebells, varying weights.
• Slam medicine ball
• TRX bands (and, you know, a place to hang them from)
• Dumbbells, varying weights.
3. Horseback Riding: I want to go riding this year, at least once. I haven't ridden a horse in years, and I'd love to do it again. This isn't so much a fitness thing, but I'm just putting it up here so I'll make an effort to do it.

My Week in Instagram (Week #163)

A lot of selfies this week. It's my blog, and I'll selfie if I want to...

Sunday:

Self-care Sunday

Planning

With Mom and Dad out of town, I got a lot of attention from
the fuzzy lady.

Listing atlas post cards on Etsy.

Monday:

I wore a cute scarf on Monday--and good thing, because our
boiler died at school and it took them a few days to fix it!!

I also wore the jade-and-gold bracelet Mom gave me. 

Working hard

Lace from my scarf.

A mess. 

All this went down.

I tried doing the farmer's carry with dumbbells. My hands
were NOT happy. 

Tuesday:

Found on Instagram.

Selfie, again.

Practicing. I've played my piano every day this year.

Wednesday:

I raided Dad's tool box for odds and ends for instrument-making.

These are amazing. Little bits of brie cheese.

Selfie with a Duchess.

Thursday:

Spent my extended prep time making instruments out of junk.

These became bongos.

Lunch was the last of the New Year's Day black-eyed peas.

My 6th grade boys finished their art early, so I humored their
desire to set a world record for "Crayola Pen Chain." 

Time for a workout with Matt! That's his truck I'm parked
behind.

That post-workout-tomorrow-is-Friday glow.

Friday:

Bacon-egg croissant for breakfast. Amazing.

She works harrrrrd for her money...

The weekly bleach-a-thon. I wash my desk down once a week.

The heater was still being weird, so our boss gave us some
options...the blue is not her writing. : P

Stopped to pick up my race bib on the way home from work.

Then I went to WinCo for groceries and decided I needed this.

Definitely needed this.

Saturday:

Pre-race selfie. 

Post-race selfie. Time: 35:03, meaning I have some work
to do shaving 5:04 off!

Dad's rain gauge (I got it for him for Christmas). I didn't notice
the grasshopper until I went back in the house and looked at
the picture again.

That is the beginning of a daffodil. 

I make wishes on M&Ms...

I started a new book. So far, it's excellent.