Back from the Dead (does that make me a zombie?)

Hello blogging friends. If you still exist. Which I know you do, just maybe not here.
The world, such as it is, has got me down. My birthday is coming up (in 3 months) so I decided to do 3 months of good things. And maybe also to give up that other social media thing that is not, in my opinion, GOOD.
So.
I will try to post every day, but if not, at least every other day. And I will talk about the good things I am doing, because I will do something GOOD every day.
What do I mean by GOOD?
That makes me feel good and hopefully is also good.
I have a few goals.

1. To connect positively with my Son, age 13. This is harder than it seems, but so far has consisted of me asking him open-ended questions and also trying to hug him (harder than it seems!). I will let him teach me a game. I'm also going to take him out for a treat drink and reading in a cafe.
2. To do "exercise" that makes me feel good about myself rather than feel like a bag full of garbage left out in the rain.
3. To drink less.
4. To walk more.
5. To volunteer. With Son? I hope.
6. To get outside as often as possible, weather be damned!
7. To get together with friends more often, for movies, or coffee or walks or yoga or whatever.
8. To do yoga consistently.
9. To meditate.
10. To be grateful every day.

Is Crossfit helping my brain?

I read (yesterday, from Tuesday's paper) this article "In Women, Training for a Sharper Mind," and it raised some interesting questions for me.
To whit: Does strength training change the brain somehow? OR, and this is my main question, OR is there something about strength training that changes the way we think?
For example, after doing some crazy hard workout like, let's say, Barbara,* I think, "Holy shit! How did I do that?" Then, later, after I have consumed a lot of water and protein, I think, "Wow! I did that." Then, even later, when confronted by some arduous task, I think, "Well, that might be a little hard. Sort of hard. But it's not as hard as Barbara!" And so then I do that task, which does not involve lifting weights, or doing pull ups, and I finish it.
I think, maybe, the study discussed above did involve some brain measuring, but all I can say is that, from personal, non-scientific experience, I would say, Yes. Crossfit helps my brain.



* FYI: Barbara is 20 pullups, 30 pushups, 40 sit ups, 50 squats. That doesn't sound too bad? Right. Oh wait, 5 rounds. Yeah. It took me 53 minutes. Ha!

New Year's Resolutions: A Review

Here are my resolutions from last year, with a recap:

1. Go to bed earlier. (sleep is good!) *I don't think I accomplished this*
   
2. Exercise more. (Swimming, Running, Yoga) *This I definitely have accomplished. Recently*
   
3. Worry less. *Still unsuccessful on this front*
   
4. Ski this winter. *I did ski, but I want to ski more this year*
   
5. Be nicer. *I tried. Not sure if I succeeded. Maybe?*
   
6. Be more patient. *No*
   
7. Write more. *More? Maybe? Probably not*
   
8. Read more. *Yes. Successful on this one.*
   
9. Watch less TV. *No.*
   
10. See more movies in the theater. (this one seems doable!) *Yes. I accomplished this*

So, all in all more success than not. This year, I'll limit myself to five.

1. Sleep. (sound familiar?)
2. Do a triathlon.
3. Write. (ie: finish The Novel)
   
4. Read.
5. Hang out with friends (dinners, movies, etc.)

I think getting rid of "more" insures success on the resolution front. And I'm all for success.

Another Long Weekend

Another three-day weekend glimmers on the horizon. To be filled with: kids to watch, Son's Birthday Party, excessive amounts of grading, fiction contest to judge, "Pride and Prejudice" to watch, what else? I'm sure there will be food and drink as well. Melting of the snow, I hope, perhaps an outdoor run. Right now I'm freezing, so that doesn't seem likely.
Today I plan to go work out, have a few meetings, go to the Dollar Store for goodies (for Son's party), buy Son a birthday gift, maybe do some grading. I swear, I've read so much student prose lately (summaries, Vista posts, drafts of stories, rhetorical analyses) that I don't think I would recognize a good idea or well written sentence if one ran up and attacked me with a blunt object. Not that I want to be attacked with a blunt object. It's just...
Time to face the real world. Which means sitting on the couch drinking tea for at least another half an hour.
Happy President's Day weekend! I'll be remembering how, 7 years ago, we spent the weekend in the hospital watching TV, letting people bring us food all day, trying to forget that I had staples in my abdomen. Aah! The good old days.

Am I Wrong?

Am I wrong to want to walk into class tomorrow and write on the board in big black letters: I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!?
Now first, is this true? The answer has to be yes. Having just read their discussion posts which were supposed to be rhetorical analyses but finding instead knee jerk diatribes about the content of the essay (which was about Hispanic-Americans and assimilation), I would have to say, yes, that I don't really want to hear their opinions about the essay so much as what the essay actually said. Not what they think it said, or what their personal experiences with the subject matter of the essay have led them to believe, but what the essay actually said.
Luckily tomorrow we will be talking about a selection from Everything Bad is Good For You, and not the essay about assimilation. I hope I never have to teach that essay again, because I will yell at them. I will. Yell.

Another diatribe in my head that I thought about blogging about was
You know you're not exercising if:
While walking on the treadmill you are talking on your cell phone. Please!! Save me from these people!
You can bench press 300 pounds but you can't see your knees because of your belly (yes, chubby guy with huge arms, I'm talking to you!)
After interacting with the exercise machine, you are not sweating.
After five minutes on the stationary bike, you stop to eat a granola bar and read a magazine.

See? At heart I am really a very mean person. Maybe it is because today is Tuesday, but it feels like Monday. Or maybe it's because I had to read a bunch of student posts. One was so nonsensical that I just stopped reading it. I had to. For my own sanity.
And then I had to watch "American Idol" to remember that the world is really full of idiots. And also that life is funny, just not always intentionally.

Resolutions

1. Go to bed earlier. (sleep is good!)
2. Exercise more. (Swimming, Running, Yoga)
   
3. Worry less.
4. Ski this winter.
5. Be nicer.
6. Be more patient.
7. Write more.
8. Read more.
9. Watch less TV.
10. See more movies in the theater. (this one seems doable!)
    

School Dread

I'm back from the jungles of Idaho where we braved storms and too many margaritas to enjoy family time and reminiscing with high school buddies, former teachers, parents' colleagues, and family friends and neighbors.
Highlights:

1. Sitting in hot pool that belonged to hotel nestled in evergreens, as it got dark.
2. Spending lots of time with parents and siblings.
3. Hiking with siblings in Lava Hot Springs.
4. Making the incredibly delicious pomegranate mojitos (not as sweet as you'd fear!).
5. Walking Gus in Lava and meeting the locals.
6. Talking to hip teenage niece about friends from Austin, myspace and emo-screamo.
7. Shopping with sister for shorts and buying two shirts and new dress instead.
8. Buying shorts at Ace Hardware.
9. Swimming laps at Ross Park Pool with my new polarized goggles.
10. Eating at Pocatello taco truck two times.
11. Running into high school friend and jewelry making wife at Pocatello farmer's market.
12. Hiking with grad school friend and dog on Boundary Trail.
13. Riding my bike in Island Park and Inkom.
14. Meeting sister's friend from State College. Mostly when he said things like "Yep, she's your sister" and "Don't you think 'Mike's Hard Berry' sounds dirty?"
15. Talking to cool sociologist who studies vampire culture and prison gambling.
16. Finally reading A Fan's Notes. What took me so long?
17. Eating lots of eggs and bacon for breakfast.
18. Eating lots.
19. Drinking lots.
20. Finally coming home and getting back to running. And sleeping in my own bed.

But, because I'm crazy!, I leave for Cincinnati on Wednesday to do research for what heretofore shall be referred to as the DFL. I'll spend two days at the Arts Center, also eating at whatever cool restaurants I can find, maybe having a martini, if I feel brave.
I hope I see many of you soon. Wish me luck.